A Dragon Keeper's Memory
by DrarryLover4Ever
Summary: Harry has his memories blocked from him on a raid. Three years later we find ourselves on a dragon reserve where Harry is a dragon keeper. Draco is sent by someone in the ministry to bring a missing person back from the dragon reserve. The entire Wizarding world thinks Harry is dead. Only three people know that he's not. Who is Draco searching for? Will he get more than he thought?
1. Obstructionum memoriae

**A/N: Here is my newest story. I love this one! I finally got past my road block and I'm close to finishing. I expect it will be about 10 chapters or so. Enjoy!**

 **Summary: Harry has his memories blocked from him on a raid. Three years later we find ourselves on a dragon reserve where Harry is a dragon keeper. Draco is sent by someone in the ministry to bring a missing person back from the dragon reserve. The entire Wizarding world thinks Harry is dead. Only three people know that he's not. Who is Draco searching for and will he get more than he ever thought he would?**

 **Disclaimer: These characters are not mine nor do they belong to me. I'm just using them for fun :).**

A Dragon Keepers Memory

Harry was crouching outside the house that they were supposed to perform the raid on. He was alone, as his partner, Auror O'Malley, had gone around the back of the house. They were to wait for back-up and not move a muscle until their back-up arrived. Harry was itching to get inside the house and prevent those who were inside from escaping. They had already cast an anti-apparition net around the house and cast spells to block the floo. He hoped it would work.

The people inside were a few rogue sympathizers of Voldemort. They were mostly low level and had never been complete Death Eaters, but they still sided with him during the war and were trying to stir up some sort of trouble similar to what Voldemort had done when he was alive. Harry wanted to squash any plans of that and was pleased to be sent on this mission.

His desire for the Ministry to fix itself was proving to be difficult. They were set in their ways and struggled to listen to the younger generations. It was slow moving, but Harry felt it was going somewhat in the right direction. Kingsley was trying very hard to make some changes, but was meeting some resistance. Harry was mostly patient so he could wait for a bit, but he knew it wouldn't be long before he would lose his patience.

He heard a few muffled pops and turned to his right to see their back-up coming in. They gave them the signal and they proceeded to move in on the house. It was a coordinated attack and required everyone to follow their plan. It was going swimmingly and they had even managed to catch the sympathizers off guard. Of course, Harry instinctually knew that it was going too easily and it was soon proven to him when things started to not go according to plan.

That brought him to hiding behind some furniture, throwing spells out at the criminals, trying to get them to be incapacitated enough for them to get them rounded up and into holding cells. His shield was wavering as he tried to think of different ways to get to them, but they were proving to be more skilled than anticipated. He saw his fellow aurors, struggling under the volley of spells being sent at them. It didn't seem right to him. Something was off. It was never this hard.

That brought Harry turning to look at movement to his left and his eyes widened as he saw someone there. He couldn't focus on them for some reason and the last thing he heard was " _Obstructionum memoriae!_ " and a jet of dark red light flying towards him was the last thing he saw.

 **XXXX**

 _Three years later_

Harry stood on an observation deck, looking over the landscape. The mountains surrounded him and the valleys were beautiful and green. He lived in a small town of dragon keepers. He turned and walked across the deck to look on the other side which overlooked the area where most of the dragons were. He sighed and breathed in the fresh air. He felt at peace here and nearly forgot about the missing piece of his life that he constantly felt.

Footsteps sounded next to him and he turned to see a red-haired man standing there. "Hey, Charlie," he stated with a smile. Every time he looked at the man, something inside him hurt. He reminded him of someone that he could never put a face to, but somehow, in the three years that he'd been there, the man had been of great comfort to him.

"Harry. How are you doing this morning? Up early, I see," he replied.

Harry nodded. He had been having horrible nightmares. None of it made any sense, but they were horrible none the less. "Yes, well, my nightmares have been keeping sleeping at bay. Gertrude is about to lay her eggs," he commented, moving away from anything personal about himself. Even though he felt comforted by Charlie, he was still guarded like he was keeping a part of him separate from him. He figured it related to the missing piece in his life, but he wasn't sure. Plus, Charlie had told him nearly three years ago that he had had an accident and lost some of his memories. That was probably the explanation to the missing piece. He wished he knew how to get it back.

Charlie scanned the cliffs and nodded. "That's excellent. She's been sticking close to home lately. What sorts of nightmares are you having?" he asked, going back to the topic that Harry didn't want to discuss.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. It's all just images of things and people I don't know. Lots of green light, some dark red," he replied.

Charlie nodded. He knew that Harry didn't want to talk about it so he looked back over at the Dragons and they stayed there for a bit in silence. "Shall we head out for more training?" he suggested.

Harry grinned and nodded.

 **XXXX**

Ron sat down at the table where Hermione was looking over their post. She sighed and had tears in her eyes as she read a letter. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh, just another letter from Charlie. Harry is having nightmares and he can tell that something is bothering him, but of course, Harry won't talk about it," she replied as she handed the letter to him.

He frowned as he read it and shook his head. He set the letter down and looked out the window. "If only we could figure out how to get him back here," he said quietly.

Hermione reached across and squeezed his hand. "You know he can't. Someone blocked his memories on purpose and left him in that house to die. They think he died because we thought it would be safer for him. If only we could just figure out what's going on with the Ministry, who is fighting the changes. We might be able to get Harry back," she replied.

He nodded, knowing that her answer would be exactly that. "It's really hard when I don't work there and you don't work in the right department."

"Well, I'll start reaching out to other departments and see what I can garner. I saw Malfoy there the other day. I bet this is something he'd be involved in," she commented.

Ron lifted his brow. "Do you really think he'd be involved? I know that's weird coming from me, but…." he trailed off.

She shook her head. "No, I don't, but he might know something," she suggested.

He nodded. "It's possible. See if he's there tomorrow and maybe you can talk with him," he suggested.

She nodded and returned to going through their post.

 **XXXX**

Draco sat down in the dining area of the Manor and looked over the Daily Prophet. He scoured the articles to see if there were any cases that he might be able to consult on. He mostly did missing persons and lost artifacts and had yet to be tapped by the Ministry for any assistance. He glanced back at the front of the page and noted the date. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face, sadness slipping into him.

It had been three years since Harry Potter had died in a training exercise. When Draco first heard about it, he was numb with surprise. Of all the things that could take out Harry Potter, a training exercise, for his job, was the one to do it. Not the Dark Lord. Not a dragon. Not a poison. Not another Death Eater. A training exercise took him out. After the numbness wore off, grief surprisingly set in. It didn't make any sense to him as to why he would grieve for Harry Potter. They most definitely were not friends and had never gotten along. They were on opposite sides of the war until nearly the very end.

Maybe he grieved because his life debt could never be repaid now nor could his mother's. Maybe he grieved for the possibility that they could have had at being friends or at least cordial to one another. Maybe he grieved because Harry would never get to see how much he had changed. He wasn't sure why he grieved, but he did.

After that, acceptance settled in. He got lost in his work and accepted that Harry was gone. He couldn't change it. His childhood nemesis was gone. He had to move on. Of course, over the three years, he always felt like something was missing, but he never thought to attribute it to Harry being gone.

He heard a tapping noise behind him and he turned to see an owl with a letter. He stood and opened the window. The owl flew in and settled on the back of a chair. Draco reached over and took the letter. He frowned as he didn't recognize the seal. He set it down on the table and cast several charms on it to see if it had any spells on it. It was clean so he opened it up.

 _Mister Malfoy,_

 _The Ministry is requesting your services for a missing person case. We would appreciate your prompt response to see if you are interested in helping us. Please send a response with this owl._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Theodore Edgecombe_

Draco frowned for a moment. That last name seemed familiar to him, but he was unsure why. He was also surprised that there was not a title under the name like there usually was from a Ministry official. Maybe they were doing this under the radar. Maybe the missing person was someone they didn't want to make known they were missing. It seemed that Draco had finally caught his break and the Ministry finally needed his services. He scribbled a reply and sent it off with the owl.

 **XXXX**

Hermione walked down to the port key office four days later to organize port keys for some of the people in her department. They were going off to a distant country to check on the welfare of some magical creatures.

She had yet to see Draco at the Ministry again and was becoming discouraged. She hesitated to actually reach out to him by other means, so she really hoped that she'd find him at the Ministry.

"Good afternoon, Miss Granger. Port key travel requests?" the receptionist asked as she took Hermione's documents.

"Yes," she replied with a smile.

"I will get these taken care of. Should be about fifteen minutes," the receptionist stated.

Hermione nodded and turned to sit in the waiting area. She picked up a magazine on magical theory and started thumbing through it. She looked up when she heard someone else coming in. Her eyes widened as she saw Draco stepping up to the receptionist desk. He had been looking down at his paperwork and had yet to notice her. The receptionist was back and looking up at Draco.

"How can I help you today?" she asked in a polite tone. Not as friendly as the tone she used with Hermione, but polite enough.

"Hello, I need to make arrangements for a port key. It's for ministry business," he explained.

The receptionist nodded. "I will get these going for you. It should be about twenty minutes," she replied.

Draco nodded and turned. Hermione was looking at him with what she hoped was a kind expression. He frowned slightly at her, but walked over and sat across from her. "Granger," he said politely.

She smiled at him. "Malfoy," she replied.

They sat in silence for a bit. Hermione was trying to work up the nerve to say something to him. Draco had looked away from her at one point. She took a deep breath. "Malfoy, I was wondering if we could have coffee after we're done here," she asked.

Draco's eyes shot back to her and widened. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked in disbelief.

"I'm asking if we could get coffee after this," she repeated.

His eyes widened further. "Why?" he asked in a suspicious tone.

"I wanted to talk to you about something that is rather personal and not something I want to discuss here," she replied.

Draco would be lying if he didn't feel intrigued by her request. His port key didn't leave for a couple of hours so he could have coffee with her. "Um, alright, well, my port key leaves in a couple of hours, if the paperwork is all in order, so I could do that," he replied.

She smiled and nodded. She went back to perusing her magazine. Soon enough, her name was called and she got up. "I'll meet you at the coffee shop down the block in twenty minutes," she said as she walked past Draco. He nodded in agreement.

His name was called a bit later and he had his port key in his pocket. Luckily, he had his bag already packed and simply had to get to his port key station before he was scheduled to leave.

He walked down to the coffee shop and walked in. Hermione was sitting at a table towards the back. He ordered some tea and then walked over to join her. He sat down across from her and looked over at her expectantly.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet me," she said in greeting.

"Well, I'm curious by nature so when you asked, I couldn't very well refuse," he replied.

She smiled and nodded slightly. "Where are you heading off to?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. They told me what to pack and wouldn't tell me where I was going. It's a bit suspicious, but they seem like they want to keep this under the radar from the press."

Hermione's hackles went up. "Who requested your help?" she asked.

Draco sat back, picking up on her uneasiness. He crossed his arms and looked at her. "What's going on, Granger?" he asked suspiciously.

Hermione flicked her wand quickly and then bit her lip. Draco knew she had silenced the area around them. "Ron and I have been trying to figure out who is pushing against reforming the Ministry. We also feel like Harry's death was not accidental," she replied quietly.

That perked up Draco instantly. "Excuse me?" he asked.

Hermione sighed. "Can I trust you? I know our past suggests otherwise, but I know that you've been doing a lot of work to help people find lost family and friends as well as lost artifacts. I want to trust that when I tell you our suspicions that you will keep them to yourself," she replied.

Draco stared at her for several moments. Emotions that he had been suppressing for the past three years started to stir. He had suspected, somewhere in his mind, that Harry's death was too clean. He knew that Harry was smart. There was no way that a training exercise would get him killed. "You can trust me. I've always felt that his death was too convenient," Draco whispered, his tone harsh.

Hermione nodded. "Ron and I suspect that what happened to Harry was not an accident. We have no proof, but Harry was too smart to get killed in a training accident and the fact that the Ministry didn't investigate it very thoroughly aligns with our suspicions. I think Kingsley wanted a more thorough investigation, but he didn't get it because someone stopped it. I don't know, but the Ministry seems to be stuck in neutral. People have tried to make change, but no one is changing. Someone is preventing that from happening. The only problem is that we have no proof," she explained.

Draco frowned. He hadn't been following Ministry politics since his trial because it was not something he cared about. It sounded like he should have been paying more attention. "That's an interesting theory, Granger," he commented.

"Have you heard anything about this going on?" she asked hopefully.

Draco frowned, wishing that he could say that he did know something, but he didn't. "I'm sorry, I don't. I haven't been involved with the Ministry at all up until they contacted me for a job. When I come back, I'll be more than happy to see what I can find out," he offered.

Hermione nodded and smiled. "I know it won't bring Harry back, but at least we'll know and hopefully we'll finally be able to make a difference," she replied.

"I'm hoping to have this case wrapped up in a couple of days. My port key is leaving soon so I better start heading to the hub. Apparently there is a Ministry employee who's gone missing. I have a vague description of how they look and only the vaguest of ideas as to where I'm heading. I hope that doesn't hinder my mission," he said with a chuckle.

Hermione looked up at him in slight concern. "Aren't you a bit worried about the vagueness, especially after what I told you?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I've been given even vaguer information before and been alright. Besides, I'm telling you and I told my mother so if anything should happen to me, at least two people will know what happened," he replied with a laugh.

She nodded. "Well, thank you again for meeting me and for agreeing to help. Hopefully, we'll have success. Good luck," she said.

Draco nodded and left her table. His mind was buzzing again and Harry was at the forefront of his mind again. He felt like he had another mission. He wanted to bring those responsible for Harry's death to justice. He knew it couldn't have happened the way it did. He knew it.


	2. Green Eyes

**A/N: I thought I'd post one more chapter for this story until the weekend. The chapters are a bit longer than usual for me so you'll get more stuff in one chapter :) Anyway, I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for the follows and reviews!**

Draco landed gracefully in the middle of a valley. It was nearing dark so it wasn't too bright out there. He looked around, trying to get his bearings. He frowned and pulled out the parchment that told him where to go from the port key hub. He cast a quick navigation spell which pointed him north which was the direction he was supposed to go. He started that way, casting a lumos as he walked.

He knew that he was far away from civilization based on the lack of superficial light. It seemed to be a good place for someone to hide if they were trying to get away from the Ministry. He walked for nearly an hour before he finally reached the town he was supposed to stay in. The last location of the known missing Ministry official.

He walked up to the inn that was off the road and walked in. It was definitely old and seemed run down, but he imagined that was just a glamour. The place was buzzing with magic. He walked in and his point was proven as the interior looked much more up to date than the exterior. It was beautiful.

He walked up to the desk and waited. Someone walked out from the back. The man looked rough around the edges, but he had a friendly smile. "How may I help you?" he asked in a gruff tone.

"I'm wondering if you have any rooms available," Draco asked politely.

The man nodded and opened up his register book. Draco took that moment to look around to figure out where he was. It was soon apparent when he saw all the Romanian words that were around. He frowned slightly. _Romania?_ He thought.

"I have a room available on the third floor. How long will you be staying?" the man told him.

Draco looked back at him. "Um, could you leave the departure date open? I'm not sure how long I'll be here," he replied.

The man looked more closely at him for a moment. He shrugged and nodded. "We get that a lot. Lots of people come here to visit the dragon reserve and they are never sure when they'll leave. What-" the man paused when he saw the horrified look on Draco's face.

"Dragon reserve?" he asked in a quiet voice.

The man lifted a bushy brow. "Yes, the dragon reserve. Are you here on other business?" he asked suspiciously.

Draco gulped. "Well, yes. I'm looking for someone who has gone missing from Britain. They might be on the dragon reserve, now that I know that it's here. How strange," he replied.

"Ah, well, we get a few people out here who have left their homes to chase the wild. I'm sure if you have a missing person, they are probably on the reserve. Of course, they probably don't want to be found. A dragon reserve is not for the faint of heart," the man replied.

"I don't doubt that," Draco replied quietly. His heart was pounding as he thought about the dragons that were not too far away.

"Your name, sir?" the man asked.

"Uh, Draco Malfoy," he replied.

The man nodded and wrote his name down and the room number. Draco gave him some galleons. He hoped that those would work where he was considering he wasn't told to get different money. The man accepted them and passed him the key.

"Three floors up and to the left. If you are hungry, there is a pub down the block that has great grub. Have a good night," the man told him.

Draco nodded and started towards the stairs. He climbed up them, worrying his lip as he thought about the dragons again. Even though his name sake meant dragon, it didn't mean that he had to like them. He reached his room after a few more minutes and opened the door. The room was quaint and he found it surprisingly acceptable. He set his bag down and resized it. He took out his clothes, ones that made a bit more sense now, and put them in the bureau. He walked over to the window and looked out. He seemed to be facing the mountains. He couldn't make them out very well, but dark hulking shapes seemed to match more closely with mountains than say dragons.

He stood up and pocketed his key. He wanted to get going on his missing person case and figured the local pub might be a good start, plus he was hungry after all. He left his room and walked back down the stairs. He exited the inn and walked down the block. He could hear lots of talking and laughing and he assumed that was probably from the pub. He walked up to the entrance and entered the pub. He looked around for a moment before he walked up to the bar. He sat and ordered some butter beer and a shepherd's pie. He turned and leaned back, looking around the room again. He was looking for any person that might meet the description, not that he had much to go on. The person was a man with dark hair and light colored eyes. At the time of his disappearance he had worn glasses so he was also looking for someone who wore glasses. He was shorter in stature and slender.

His eyes settled on someone that did not meet his description, but made him pause. The man had bright red hair and was pale. His hair was tied back. When the man turned to come towards the bar, Draco stared at him in surprise. There was no doubt in his mind that this person was a Weasley. He vaguely remembered that one of the Weasleys was a dragon keeper and worked at a dragon reserve. This must be the one. Huh, small world.

"Another round, please," he said as he stood next to Draco. He turned and glanced at Draco for a moment and turned away, but then he turned back to him rather quickly. "I recognize you," he stated.

Draco extended his hand. "Draco Malfoy," he introduced himself.

"Ah, Malfoy, yes. Charlie Weasley," he said as he shook Draco's hand.

Draco nodded. "Nice to meet you," he replied.

"Likewise. What brings you to these parts?" he asked curiously.

"A missing person case," Draco replied.

Charlie's eyes widened and he glanced back at his group. Draco looked over at them, seeing if anyone that was sitting there met the description. There were a few, which was helpful. It let him know where to begin. "Huh, well, we tend to have missing people up here because they want to experience one of the wildest things there is, but eventually they go home," he replied.

Draco nodded. "Well, I'll come up there tomorrow then and ask around. I don't have a specific name, otherwise I'd ask you if you know them," he replied.

Charlie nodded. "Right, well, good luck then. I'll be around there tomorrow," he replied.

Draco nodded and watched him walk away. He finished his dinner and left the pub. Tomorrow he'd head up to the dragon reserve to investigate and ask questions. Tonight he was going to sleep.

 **XXXX**

Charlie went back to his flat and knelt in front of the floo, throwing in floo powder and calling out Ron's name. He ended up in Hermione and Ron's living room. "Ron? Hermione?" he called out.

Hermione appeared. She looked worried. "Charlie, what is it?" she demanded, expecting the worst.

"Harry's fine, don't worry. Listen, Draco Malfoy just got here," he said without much preamble.

Hermione's eyes widened. "He is?" she asked as she began worrying her lip.

"Yes. I just saw him in the pub," he replied.

"Was Harry with you?" she asked.

"No. He stayed in tonight. What should I do? I can't very well send Harry away. He'd be very suspicious and he has nowhere to go," Charlie questioned.

Hermione frowned and worried her lip some more as she thought. "Let Harry stay. Don't stop Malfoy from seeing him. Maybe it will somehow trigger memories or something. I'm not really sure if that's possible with this spell, but maybe it will work. Plus, I have a feeling that the missing person that Malfoy is looking for might be Harry. I have no idea how they found out, but I think I'm right," she said worriedly.

Charlie nodded. "Alright. I'll update you soon," he replied, his tone just as worried.

They cut the connection. Hermione was more than determined to figure out what was going on and how they found out where Harry was. Who were these people?

 **XXXX**

The next morning, Draco woke up. He showered and dressed. He stood at the window looking out. As he had suspected last night, the view out his window was mountains which looked amazing. He smiled. If anything, he at least would get to enjoy the scenery. He walked downstairs and stopped at the receptionist desk. A woman was there this morning. He guessed that she might be the man's wife.

"Good morning, Mister Malfoy," she greeted.

"Good morning. I am looking for somewhere to have breakfast. Do you have any suggestions?" he asked politely.

"Of course. There is a café just down the block, but we also have a delicious bakery that serves breakfast sandwiches and coffee. Either place would be an excellent choice," she suggested.

"How far is the dragon reserve from here?" he asked.

"Oh, the main camp is about five kilometers. The dragons themselves are a few more kilometers away," she replied.

"Thank you. Have a nice day," he said as he started out the door.

He decided to stop at the café today. He left there and started up the road that led to the dragon reserve. It was a peaceful enough walk and then the town ended abruptly and he was left alone with nature for the last two and a half kilometers.

It wasn't long before he heard yelling up ahead. He stopped and drew his wand. He continued forward, unable to make out what they were saying. Then he heard a loud roar and a zapping sound. Draco jumped and threw himself to the ground. He covered his head and curled up into a ball as he waited for the yelling and roaring to stop.

It stopped about five minutes later and he cautiously looked around. He was still alone on the road, but the yelling was no longer happening nor the roaring. He stood up and brushed his robes off and started walking again. He arrived at a large gate that appeared to be at least 30 feet tall. He stared up at it. He could see the glimmer of enchantments around it and knew that it was meant to keep something large in. He gulped and reached out to touch the gate. It swung open and he was met by someone on the other side, someone he hadn't seen through the gate.

"Draco Malfoy?" the man asked in heavily accented English.

Draco looked around in surprise. He wasn't expecting this. "Um, yes," he agreed.

"This way. Charlie will meet you up at the top of the hill," he stated.

Draco nodded and walked up the hill. Once at the top, he saw Charlie standing there waiting, glancing behind him with a contemplative expression. "Mornin' Draco. Come along. Most of the team members are out in the field, trying to get a rogue dragon back into the mountains, but I can take you up to our main building."

Draco followed him and looked around. There were several buildings that he assumed housed the resident dragon keepers. "How many dragon keepers live here on a regular basis?" he asked curiously.

"We have around twenty-five year around, but in the summer we have at least a hundred that come in and out of the reserve, mostly researchers or other keepers from other reserves. It's spring so they are going to start coming in soon enough. Right this way," he said as he gestured around a corner. Draco followed. A dark shape crossed overhead and he looked up in surprise, wondering if a cloud was covering the sun. He cried out as he saw a dragon flying above and covered his head and crouched down. Charlie looked down at him in surprise and then looked up. He chuckled and reached down to help him up.

"Don't worry, it's not going to swoop down here. We have a dome overhead," he assured him. Draco nodded and went into the building as quickly as he could. "Have a seat over there. I'm going to get my trainee and introduce you two. He's about your age. He's nearly done with his training. He'll be your guide while you're up here and help you talk with some of the others." Draco nodded again and sat down.

Charlie walked through a door and found Harry sitting at a table, looking over some books about the dragons they had on the reserve. "Hey, Harry. Listen, we've got a guest up here from Britain and I'm wondering if you can show him around. I'm going to help the others get Norberta back in the mountains," he requested.

Harry looked up from the book and frowned thoughtfully at the name. Charlie waited to see if that name might trigger something, but Harry just shook his head and stood. "Sure. Let me know if you need any more help with Norberta," he replied. Charlie nodded and walked out of the office.

"He'll be with you in a minute," he said as he headed for the door. Draco watched him leave and then stood up when he heard an office door close.

The man was looking down and for a moment Draco just stared. He had black hair that stuck up all over the place, but still managed to look like it was meant to do that. He was shorter than him and slim, but clearly had more muscle than it appeared. Draco's heart stopped as he looked at the hair, knowing that he recognized it. Then the man looked up from whatever was in his hands and he stopped and stared.

Draco gasped and stumbled back in surprise. Green eyes stared back at him. Green eyes that he hadn't seen in years. Green eyes that he shouldn't be seeing now. Green eyes that were not behind a pair of round rimmed glasses. Green eyes that sparkled like emeralds. Green eyes.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked in concern as he walked forwards and tried to assess if the man was feeling alright. He had sat down in the chair and put his head between his knees. He had never gotten a reaction like that from someone he just met.

"I'm dreaming. I'm not seeing him. He's dead. He's not supposed to be alive. I'm seeing things. There's just a strong resemblance," Draco muttered so quietly that Harry couldn't hear him clearly.

"Sir, are you alright?" he asked in confusion.

That brought Draco out of his muttering and looking up at him. "Sir?" he asked in disbelief.

"Sorry, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Harry Potter," Harry said as he extended his hand to Draco.

Draco stood up and watched as Harry stepped back. "I know who you are," he replied quietly.

Harry frowned. "Oh, well, I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are," he responded.

"You don't know who I am?" he demanded.

Harry's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Should I?" he asked.

Draco's mind was racing. Harry was supposed to be dead. He knew that this was Harry right in front of him. It most definitely was him, but he didn't know who he was. The Harry Potter he knew would definitely know who he was. "Yes, you should," he replied.

Harry frowned and then looked down between them. He ran his hand through his hair, his muscles flexing. "Right, well, I suppose that's possible. I had an accident a few years back and lost most of my memory. I guess I could have known you before," he replied.

Draco stared at him. The inner child in him, the one who tortured Harry for seven years, wanted to be pleased that he had no idea who he was and that it might lead to them starting over again, but the adult in him felt horrible for the fact that he had lost so many memories and he wondered if Hermione and Ron knew about this. "Um, I'm Draco Malfoy," he said as he shook Harry's hand.

"You resemble someone that I should know, but I just can't place it. I feel the same way about Charlie. It's frustrating," he muttered.

"I'm sorry. Do I trouble you by being here?" Draco asked.

Harry looked up in alarm. "Merlin, no. Actually, I'm the youngest dragon keeper here so having someone who is my age visiting, is a breath of fresh air," he replied.

"Not many young dragon keepers?" Draco asked curiously.

Harry laughed. "During the summer, there are, but they are wet around the ears and really just here for the thrill of working with dragons. Many tend to run away the second they see a dragon, crying for their mummies," he replied.

Draco snorted. He didn't remember Harry being funny, but then again, he didn't know him that way. "Ah, well, I'll admit right now that I'm quite nervous about being around dragons. I was sent here to look for a missing person, not to work with dragons," he explained.

Harry looked over at him thoughtfully. "Interesting that you're nervous around dragons, your name does mean dragon after all," he said thoughtfully.

"Yes, well, dragons scare me," he replied simply.

Harry nodded. "Well, come with me and I'll show you around. Norberta escaped from the mountains so they're trying to wrangle her back in. They really aren't that scary if you know how to respect them," he explained.

Draco stared at him, remembering third year when he had not listened to Hagrid or Harry about the hippogriff, Buckbeak. "I do have some experience with not respecting things I should," Draco replied.

Harry gave him a side long glance as they started walking further up the hill. "All magical creatures deserve our respect. I feel like someone told me that in my life at some point. I'm not really sure when or who, but it's something that I recall. Dragons are very scary, but I have one that I'd like you to meet. I think you will find her quite charming," he explained.

Draco looked over at Harry. He knew who might have said that to him. It was interesting that not all his memories were blocked. They seemed more like they were snippets and that they weren't connected. "I thought you couldn't tame dragons," Draco whispered nervously. He looked around again as if a dragon would swoop down and pluck him off the ground.

Harry laughed. "You most definitely cannot tame a dragon, but you can respect it and they can respect you. They can get close enough to you and not want to eat you. Come on, Hedwig is just over here," he stated as he gestured to an observation deck.

Draco stopped short. He recognized the name Hedwig. "Her name is Hedwig?" he asked uncertainly.

Harry nodded. "Yes, it seemed to suit her. Come along, she's beautiful," he insisted.

Draco jogged up next to him and they walked up onto the observation deck. Harry whistled in a certain way which caused Draco to slide closer to him and nervously look around. Harry glanced over at him and smirked at him. Draco stared at him for several seconds, years of seeing that smirk directed at his friends. This time it was directed at him and he couldn't decide how to feel about it.

Draco turned his gaze to the valley below when he heard what sounded like a drumming sound. It was deep. He inched closer to Harry, the hair on his neck standing on end and his stomach turning in anxiety. Harry flicked his wand at Draco and just in time, as he screamed when a dragon emerged from beneath them and settled on a boulder that was just a few meters away. Draco kept screaming as he gripped Harry's left arm. He finally stopped when he realized that he wasn't making any sound. He stared at the dragon nervously and then he looked at Harry with a panicked look because his voice was not working.

"Are you going to continue to scream?" Harry asked. Draco shook his head. "Are you going to be calm?" Harry asked. Draco made a gesture that suggested he would try his best. Harry cancelled the spell and looked at Draco closely. "Remain calm, and you will be just fine," he said in a soothing tone.

Draco wasn't sure if he was using some sort of magic on him, but he suddenly felt calm and he nodded slowly. He turned and looked at the dragon that was looking at them both curiously. She was pure white; well, her scales had an iridescent shade to them. She wasn't as large as he imagined she should be. Her eyes looked like jewels that changed colors depending on the way the light hit them. He watched as Harry tossed something to her and she caught it, eating it in almost one gulp. "She is very beautiful," he whispered, his voice cracking.

Harry looked over at him and smiled. "She truly is. She's an Antipodean Opaleye. They aren't native to this area, but we rescued her from her homeland. She was born very small, much smaller than most dragons. She's grown some, but she would have been eliminated by other dragons had we left her there," Harry explained.

She still seemed rather large to Draco so he wasn't sure how much smaller she was than other dragons. "Is she quite a bit smaller?" he asked uncertainly.

"She's about fifteen feet long, which is about half the size as most dragons. She's sturdy though. This is her area. We keep her separated from most of the other dragons, but there are a few that she doesn't mind being around. Norberta is one of them. She's an escape artist though. Hedwig is not. She stays put. I spend many hours with her. Well, when Charlie gives me a break in training anyway," Harry said in awe. He was smiling fondly at the dragon. Draco found that he enjoyed the smile.

"Is she tame?" Draco asked nervously.

Harry shook his head. "No, but she knows me. I was there when she was born and she connected with me. They could tell by the egg that she was going to be small so they called us in before she would hatch, just in case. We have a connection which is another reason we brought her here. She respects me and she will allow me to pet her on occasion, but not very often. We are working on flying together. She trusts me though."

He tossed another chunk of meat to her. She came closer, after catching it. She was just a meter away now and Draco felt his panic setting in. Harry picked up on it instantly and looked at him.

"Step right here," Harry said as he moved him towards a square that was a few meters behind him. Draco stepped into the box and instantly relaxed. Harry smiled at him again. "It's a calming box. Stay right there and don't move, okay?" Draco nodded and just looked back at him serenely. Harry smirked and turned back to Hedwig. Her attention was back on Harry.

He tossed her another chunk of meat which she snatched out of the air quickly. She lowered her head and butted Harry's shoulder. He reached out and brushed his hand across her scales. Draco watched in disbelief as Harry pet a dragon, a real dragon. He couldn't believe it. Harry was alive and he was a dragon keeper and he had no memory of his previous life, well, at least a memory that made sense.

Hedwig allowed Harry to pet her a few more times before he tossed her one more chunk of meat and she snatched it and flew away. Harry smiled as she flew away. Draco had stepped out of the square and was standing next to him again. "That was amazing," he whispered.

Harry was leaning against the railing on his elbows. He turned to look at Draco and smiled slightly. Draco's eyes widened as the light hit Harry just right and made him look far more handsome than Draco remembered. He looked at peace here and rugged. He looked like he belonged. If the missing person was Harry, he wasn't about to complete this mission, especially considering that he suspected that Hermione was right. Harry was in danger and had been three years ago. Someone wanted him out of the picture and somehow they found out that he wasn't actually dead. They contacted Draco to find him for reasons he didn't know and Draco was going to do whatever he could to prevent Harry from going back.


	3. Potter!

**A/N: Alright, so I said I wouldn't post again until the weekend, but school was cancelled today and I finished the story so I decided to post another chapter. The story will be 10 chapters with possibly an epilogue. Thank you for all the reviews and follows. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

Harry was leading Draco back towards the main building. Then they crossed the road and headed up another side road. "So your missing person case, did they give anything to look for?" Harry asked.

Draco froze at that question. The description he was given was pretty generic so telling him wouldn't necessarily point to himself, but it was still worrisome. "Well, not really. Dark hair, light eyes, slim build," he replied with a shrug.

Harry glanced over at him with a frown. "Huh, that describes quite a few members here. Not too many, but around ten or so. Myself included, although, I don't feel like I'm missing. I don't think I have any family left. That's at least what I can gather. I'm sure I have friends from wherever I'm from, but I'm sure they must know I'm here. Maybe from school or something," Harry contemplated.

Draco looked over at him. "I'm sure your friends know you're here. What made you decide to become a dragon keeper?" he asked, moving away from the topic of himself.

Harry shrugged. "Well, I don't know. The only things I really remember are some vague childhood memories and that I'm a wizard. I woke up here one day to see Charlie and from there I was told I was a dragon keeper in training and that I had an accident that made me lose some memories. He helped me relearn all the spells that I would have learned growing up and how to work with dragons. I've learned other spells that he didn't teach me or maybe I remembered them. I don't know. It's all a big mess in my opinion, but what can I do?"

"I guess, not much. Do you think it's possible that the lost memories can come back?" Draco asked curiously.

Harry shrugged again. "If they can, they haven't yet. I would think that in three years I'd at least remember something. All I've got is snippets of memories, maybe, that don't go together and are completely random. I just focus on what I can and that's dragons," he replied.

Draco nodded. They continued walking in silence. After walking for ten minutes, Draco noticed that Harry's demeanor changed and that he was holding his wand. Draco released his in response and started looking around, trying to figure out what got Harry on edge.

"What is it?" he whispered.

Harry frowned. "Stay close," he whispered back as he crouched slightly and started forward. Draco stared after him for a moment, unmoving, but then jumped forward and followed him. He reached out towards him, but didn't touch him.

As they rounded a corner, Harry crouched further and peeked around some bushes that bordered the road. Draco peeked as well, but couldn't see anything. He stayed behind Harry and waited for his cue. Harry turned to look at Draco. "Stay here. Do not move," he whispered as he stood and moved around the bushes.

Draco made a sound in protest, but Harry turned a glare on him and put his finger to his mouth. Draco nodded and crouched down. He watched as Harry disappeared around the corner. Draco felt his heart beating fast as he realized he was completely alone now with no idea as to what was happening up ahead.

He heard a growling noise coming from ahead. He moved out from behind the bush and started moving slowly around so that he could see. He wanted to be sure that Harry was alright. What he saw when he cleared the corner made him wish he had listened to Harry and stayed put. Harry was standing in front of the biggest dragon that Draco had ever seen.

Draco started to shake, wondering what the hell Harry was going to do. This dragon was huge. "Vinnie, what are you doing on the road?" Harry called out in a calm voice.

The dragon growled and stepped towards Harry. He stayed in place, wand raised, waiting for the dragon to make its next move. "Vinnie, you know you're supposed to stay in the southern mountains. We can't let you stay here if you don't follow the rules," he reminded his tone scolding.

Draco stared at the dragon and then looked at Harry in confusion. He was talking to the dragon as if it were a person. It made no sense to him. He continued to watch, waiting for something to happen. When it did, it happened so fast that he cried out in surprise. The dragon growled and then started towards Harry. He watched as Harry gave the dragon an exasperated look and turned on his heel and started running. Harry ran towards him and Draco scrambled back under a bush.

"Send up purple flares! Send up purple flares! Purple flares!" Harry yelled at Draco as he ran past him. The dragon thundered after him. Draco's hand shook as he raised it and shot purple flares into the air. As the dragon passed him, Draco stood up and saw Harry running faster than he'd ever seen him run. It wasn't long before he started seeing other dragon keepers running towards Harry and the dragon and spells flying through the air. Draco froze in place as he watched the dragon reel from the spells. He was snapping his jaws and trying to snatch people off the road. Finally, someone yelled out a spell and then the dragon disappeared.

Draco stared in disbelief. How in the hell had the dragon just disappeared? He ran down the road, trying to figure out what happened. He saw Harry up ahead and the group crowded around something. He stopped next to Harry who was bent over and breathing quickly.

"Where the hell did the dragon go?" Draco demanded as he looked all over to see if it somehow took off into the air and he missed it.

Harry stood up straight again and started towards the group of people. They parted for him and Draco. They both looked down and he staggered back in surprise. There was a man, most definitely unconscious and naked, lying on the ground, curled up. He had his back to them. Draco rubbed his eyes profusely and then looked at Harry in confusion.

"This is Vinnie. He's an animagi dragon who prefers to stay in dragon form versus human form. We had an agreement with him about staying here, but it appears that he decided not to follow it today," Harry explained.

Draco watched as the group of men pulled the unconscious man up, put a robe on him, and shackled his hands with gold handcuffs. They started down the road and left Harry and Draco to watch them. "I didn't know it was possible to be a dragon animagi," he commented in awe. He frowned thoughtfully because the man seemed familiar to him, but he didn't see his face, so he had no idea why he'd be familiar.

Harry nodded and started back up the road, the one they had just been on. Draco startled and jogged after him. Harry had a hard look on his face and he looked upset. "Vinnie came here about two years ago. He's from Britain. Charlie was very reluctant to allow him to be here, but the ministry officials that brought him here didn't really give him much choice," Harry replied, scowling.

Draco's mind whirled at this news. There had been Ministry officials here two years ago. They could have seen Harry or heard his name or something. This Vinnie person could easily be a plant by the Ministry. They could easily be sending information back to whoever put Harry here. This was very alarming to know. "Where were you when he came here?" Draco asked.

Harry must have picked up on his nervous tone because he looked over at him in confusion. "I was in New Zealand, getting Hedwig. Why?" he asked.

Draco looked away, trying to figure out a legitimate response. He sighed and decided to give him a sort of truth. "I just wondered because I wonder if it might relate to my missing person case," he replied.

Harry stopped and looked at him. "Why would where I am relate to your missing person case?" he questioned.

"I meant relate to Vinnie, not you. I was just curious if maybe you saw him when he came in or something," Draco replied with a shrug.

Harry frowned at him. He studied him for several moments as if he was trying to decide if Draco was lying or not. Luckily for Draco, he was a good liar. Harry hummed before he responded. "Well, I wasn't here and I've only seen him as a dragon and even then it wasn't very often. Charlie kept me away from him for obvious reasons," Harry stated as he gestured behind him at where the altercation had occurred.

Draco nodded. They continued on and met nothing startling the rest of the way until they were at the top of a smaller mountain. Harry gestured out into the open area and Draco gasped. It was amazing. "Wow," he whispered as he saw a couple of dragons flying nearby. He stepped back nervously even though they were quite a ways away. He glanced over at Harry who was smiling and watching him with a look on his face that made Draco blush deeply.

"There's a protective barrier here. They will move away from it if they get too close. It's like a repelling charm only for dragons," Harry explained in response to his nervousness.

"Oh, so it's not like they can come over here and eat me?" he asked in a quivering tone.

Harry laughed and nodded. "Yes. You're perfectly safe," he replied.

Draco nodded. "Okay, so if that's in place, how do the dragons get out, like the two from today?"

"With Norberta, she is very determined to escape, like she's looking for something so she can find weaknesses in the barrier if she tries really hard. She doesn't escape very often, maybe every three months or so. With Vinnie, well, he is a wizard so he's capable of breaking through the barrier if he transforms. He doesn't do it often either. You've just caught us on a more exciting day than usual," Harry explained.

Draco nodded. He watched as Harry started forward and took a seat on a boulder. Draco watched him for several moments before he walked over and settled down next to him. Harry had his knees pulled up against his chest and his arms wrapped around them, holding them in place. He turned and looked at Draco with bright eyes. "How did we know each other?" Harry asked. Draco's eyes widened and he looked away, cheeks coloring. "Were we friends?" Harry asked.

Draco snorted. He glanced back at Harry who was looking at him with a slightly narrowed gaze. "We were not friends, no," he replied quietly.

Harry nodded and looked out on the mountains and valleys. "I didn't think so. Why weren't we? You seem like a nice guy," he replied.

Draco stared over at him in surprise. "I made a very bad first impression," he said quietly.

Harry looked back over at him and nodded. "Well, your second impression wasn't so bad aside from being confused that I didn't know you," he said with a wink.

Draco smiled slightly and shook his head. "Yes, well, we weren't friends for many reasons," he replied.

"What reasons?" Harry asked.

Draco looked away, trying to find the words to tell him why they weren't friends. He turned back and was about to say something when they were interrupted.

"Harry!" Charlie called out as he jogged up.

Harry turned and smiled over at him. "Hey, Charlie," he greeted.

Charlie nodded. "Listen, we've got Norberta back behind the barrier, but Hedwig is getting a bit stressed. I'm wondering if you might be able to calm her down so we can close the barrier?"

Harry's eyes widened and he looked at Draco apologetically. "Excuse me," he said as he moved off the boulder and started running down the road. Once out of earshot, Draco turned to Charlie with a wild look in his eyes.

"Harry Potter is alive! Everyone thinks he's dead. You need to explain to me what the hell is going on, right now," Draco whispered harshly.

Charlie sighed and nodded. He climbed up on the rock and sat down next to Draco. "He is alive, yes," he began. He glanced over at Draco who was giving him a 'no kidding' look. Charlie smiled slightly and continued. "Three years ago, Harry was on a mission that went bad. Someone cursed him and he lost a majority of his memories. They left him behind for dead. Ron and Hermione found him using a locator potion. They thought that it would be safer for him to be as far away from Britain as he could and brought him here. They thought he could start all over again. The Ministry didn't investigate very well either by choice or by lack of evidence. They declared him dead. The only people that knew he was alive were me, Ron, and Hermione. He's been safe here. However, now that you're here, it appears that he's no longer safe," Charlie explained.

Draco gave him an affronted look. "Hey, if you think for a second that I'm going to turn him over to the Ministry after what I know now and what I've learned from Granger, you've got another thing coming," he replied in a heated tone.

Charlie narrowed his gaze at him. "Forgive me for not thinking otherwise based on your history and your feelings towards Harry," he replied in a possessive tone.

Draco blushed and looked away. "It might be hard to believe, but I grieved for him when he died," he whispered.

Charlie's eyes widened in surprise. "You grieved?" he asked in disbelief. Draco nodded. "Why?"

Draco shrugged. "I don't know. I guess part of it was because I owed him my life and my world didn't make sense without him in it. He changed my life by defeating the Dark Lord. It made me angry that he persevered through so much and then was killed in a training exercise. It just left me with so many what ifs," he replied.

Charlie nodded. "Well, now that you know he's alive, what are you going to do?"

Draco smiled slightly. "Be selfish," he blurted.

Charlie looked over at him in alarm. "What does that mean? I thought you weren't going to turn him in?" he demanded, reaching for his wand.

Draco shook his head and reached up in a placating gesture. "He doesn't remember me. It gives me another chance to give a better impression of the kind of person that I can be, that I am. I want to see if we can be friends. I want to protect him from whatever the Ministry has in mind for him," he explained.

Charlie settled and put his wand back. "Hermione seems to think that you might be able to help bring those memories back," he commented.

Draco frowned. "I doubt that, but if it's possible, let's hope he gets to know me now before he remembers who I was," he said quietly.

"He's lonely. I know he feels that he's missing so much, but he can't place what he is missing. With you here, maybe he won't be as lonely. He's closer to Hedwig than anyone else," Charlie told him.

Draco nodded and looked out across the valley thoughtfully. "I am curious about something. Harry introduced himself with his full name. How does that keep him safe?"

Charlie nodded. "Ah, yes, well, we have charms that are put on those who walk through those doors that prevent them from remembering him. It only applies to people who didn't know him personally, just know of him. They can interact with him here, but as soon as they leave, they forget all about him. They don't know him as anyone else other than a dragon keeper while they're here and then they leave and he doesn't exist to them anymore," he explained.

"Well, that's good. I can't believe he's alive," Draco muttered.

"You can't believe who is alive?" Harry asked from behind them. Charlie and Draco both jumped slightly and looked somewhat guilty as they looked over at him. He frowned at them and crossed his arms.

"That guy Vinnie. Changing into a dragon has got to strain his body," Draco responded quickly.

Harry frowned slightly and then nodded. "Yeah, that's a good point. Hedwig is all situated. She wasn't too upset by the time I got there. What have you been doing?"

Charlie glanced over at Draco who was staring at Harry as if he wanted to take in every detail of him. "I was getting to know Draco a bit more. I'll leave you two to the rest of the tour," he replied as he turned back to look at Harry with a smile.

Harry nodded as he watched Charlie get down from the rock. He muttered something to Draco which caught Draco's attention and he muttered something back. Harry frowned at the two, wondering what had been going on while he was dealing with Hedwig.

"Come along," Harry stated as he turned around and started down the road that they had gone up. Draco jumped down from the rock and caught up to him. He followed him for a bit and then came to a stop as Harry did. Harry turned and faced him. He frowned at him for a moment and then stepped forward. Draco stared back at him, frozen in place. Harry had a peculiar look in his eye and he soon realized what that look was for as Harry looped an arm around his waist and pulled him against him, kissing him before Draco could react at all. His eyes widened as Harry tried to get a response out of him. Finally, Draco's eyes slid closed and he kissed him back, but it wasn't long before Harry broke the kiss and frowned over at him.

"Interesting," he muttered as he turned and went off the road and into the forested area. Draco stared after him, eyes as wide as saucers and fingers at his lips.

He blinked several times and came out of his revere and ran down the path to catch up with Harry. "Potter! What the hell?" Draco demanded as he ran up to him and reached out and grabbed his arm.

Harry whipped around and looked at him, eyes wide. "What did you say?" he whispered.

"I asked you what the hell? You just kissed me and then walked away. Why did you kiss me?" he demanded again.

Harry stared at him. Draco watched him in confusion. Harry walked over to a tree and leaned against it, closing his eyes. Draco stepped towards him in concern. "I have an image of you, a much younger version, saying my name like that. You were sneering at me, not looking anything like you do now," he said quietly. Harry opened his eyes and pinned his gaze on Draco.

Draco sighed. "I told you we weren't friends before," he reminded him.

Harry nodded. "I know. It's just; I've never had a memory like that. One that made sense and actually had a clear face," he replied.

Draco frowned slightly. Maybe he could reveal some memories for Harry which begged the question of whether or not the curse stole memories or blocked them? "Well, maybe I can jog your memory or something. That still doesn't explain why you kissed me," he replied.

Harry blushed and pushed off the tree. He didn't respond and kept walking down the path. Draco growled in annoyance and started after him again. "Please answer the question," Draco called after him.

Harry stopped again and turned to look at him. "I did it because I have these feelings towards you that are confusing. I kissed you because I thought it might narrow down the feelings a bit more. I think it only confuses me more," he replied.

Draco lifted his brow. "How in the world would kissing me sort through those feelings?"

"I'm attracted to you in some form. I don't know if it's a physical attraction or a mental attraction. I feel this fierce need to push you to your limit, but I don't know if that's a physical or mental need. I know you said we weren't friends and I believe you, but I can't figure out how these emotions are swirling around like this," he explained.

Draco's eyes widened. "You're attracted to me? That's definitely new," he whispered.

Harry sighed and turned again to start walking. Draco didn't know how to respond to that, but his body was responding in ways that he wasn't expecting towards Harry. This physical attraction idea made sense to him. All the times that they pushed each other and fought made him wonder if that attraction changed from rivalry to something of the exact opposite. Besides, people say that there is a fine line between love and hate.

They walked a bit further, not speaking to one another, lost in their own thoughts. Draco wasn't paying that much attention, but then a rumbling sound caught his attention. It was a very low rumbling sound. Draco looked up and looked around, but saw nothing other than Harry up ahead of him. He noticed that the pathway was starting to open up and the rumbling got a bit louder. He rushed forward to be closer to Harry who glanced back at him with a smirk. Draco blushed and looked away. Harry turned back to the path in front of them. He stopped after a few more meters and then Draco noticed that the path was covered by low hanging branches. He frowned in confusion, but then he watched as Harry parted the branches with his wand and then Draco was hit with a mist of water.

He stepped forward, past Harry and gaped at what he saw. They were standing next to a pond that was larger than most ponds. Misty water swirled around them and dotted his face with drops of water. It was warmer than he expected. He looked across the pond and then found the source of the rumbling. A waterfall was coming down the side of a smaller mountain. It fell at a moderate speed that Draco imagined changed depending on the time of year and the weather.

The whole area was like a private sanctuary and as he looked around, he could tell that someone had put a lot of work into making the place a private getaway. There were boulders that looked distinctly like chairs with a boulder between them that was flattened on the top. A large hammock was tied between two sturdy trees. The hammock was huge. Draco looked over at Harry with a questioning look.

He was blushing slightly. "It's my own private getaway. No one can get down here unless I bring them the first time. After that, they can come down on their own. I've never brought anyone here though," he explained.

Draco looked around with a lifted brow. "But you obviously have it set-up for more than one person," he said as he gestured around.

Harry nodded. "Yes, well, no one has ever been special enough to come down here," he replied quietly.

Draco stared at him in surprise. His mind and heart were bursting with this confession. Everything he had ever hoped for in regards to Harry happened in less than a few hours. He had always wanted Harry's attention and before he had horrible intentions to get his attention, but now, he just had to be here and be nice. If only he had figured that out years ago. "Why am I special, knowing that we weren't friends before?" he asked.

Harry walked over to him, standing close to him again. "You're from my old life regardless of the fact that you and I weren't friends. I'm missing huge parts of my memory that I want back. I can't get those back, but if I can spend time with someone from my old life, well, it's like I've got some of those memories back," he explained.

Draco stared at him. His heart swelled again. "Could we think of it as a second chance? I'd like to make a better impression this time," he replied.

Harry grinned and nodded. "Alright," he whispered. He studied Draco for several moments and then he smiled. "Come on, it's lunch time and I think it's Roberto's turn to cook. He is hands down our best cook here." Harry grabbed his hand and started pulling him back through the trees and up the path.

"Wait, that's it in there? We're done hanging out down here?" Draco asked in surprise.

Harry stopped and grinned at him. "No, but Hedwig is going to be fishing soon so I'm not sure you're quite ready to experience that," he replied with a wink.

Draco's eyes widened and he glanced back to the pond. He saw a white blur coming down from above and quickened his pace, dragging Harry behind him. "Perhaps another time, let's go," he stated as he moved more quickly up the path.

Harry chuckled behind him. For the first time, in the three years that he had been there, he felt more connected to someone than he ever had before. He felt happy about this.


	4. Missing Person

**A/N: Here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy it. So here's some news: I have one story on my page that I have never finished. Guess what I'm working on right now? The story. I'm going to finish it and then I'm going to edit the first ten chapters of it and will start putting chapters out again. The story is called** ** _Forever Friends_** **. It's where Draco and Harry have been friends since they were very young. It kind of rewrites their seven years making them friends/more than friends. Anyway, I'm going to finish it (I've said this before, but I mean it this time!). It's been like five years since I've done anything with it and that's not cool. If no one reads it when it's ready, well, oh well, at least it will be done :). Well, enough rambling, here's this story! Enjoy!**

Harry and Draco sat in the main building next to each other with all of the dragon keepers. Roberto _was_ the cook for lunch and had made a delicious gazpacho soup and some small sandwiches. They were delicious.

"Oi, Harry, who's your friend?" someone called out to him.

Harry wiped at his mouth for a moment. "This is Draco. He's from Britain," he replied.

The man lifted a bushy brow. "Never seen anyone here that you've known," he pointed out.

Harry shrugged. "I'm just as surprised as you are," he responded.

Draco shifted uncomfortably. "I came here on a missing person case and happened to run into Harry here. Purely coincidental," he added.

The man looked around the room at some of the other dragon keepers. "Missing person case?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah. I am kind of like a private investigator. I was given a missing person case with a vague description and was sent here to find them," he explained.

"Anyone missing here?" he asked the group.

"My mum would probably file a missing person case on me, but she knows I'm here so it would just be a rouse to get me home," a younger man replied with a laugh.

"You don't fit the description so I don't think it's you," Draco replied laughing with him. The man nodded.

"What's the description then?" the bushy eyebrow man asked.

"Uh, dark hair, light eyes, slim build, shorter in stature, and last seen wearing glasses," he replied.

He looked around and no one looked guilty. Draco noticed that as well which confirmed that Harry was definitely who the Ministry was looking for.

"Our families all know that we're here," a guy who fit the description replied. "This seems more like something that would happen during the summer. We have way more people here then that would be considered missing."

"It's me," Harry put out there. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, including Draco. Harry laughed. "Scorned lover wants their key back," he replied with a shrug.

Everyone started to laugh and compliment his joke. Harry glanced over at Draco and smiled slightly. Draco smiled slightly back and then returned to eating. The conversation moved away from Draco's case then and he found himself finally relaxing somewhat. Being inside a building helped and sitting next to Harry helped even more.

 **XXXX**

After Hermione talked with Charlie, she went into investigation mode and started looking into things at the Ministry herself. She contacted all her contacts outside her department and learned that there was definitely someone or more than someone trying to keep the old ways of the Ministry. They were a larger group than she would like, but she couldn't do much about it at this point. She had to figure out who she could trust.

After discussing her options with Ron, she decided to set up a meeting with Kingsley. She was able to get him to meet her away from the Ministry. They were going to meet in one of Fred and George's hideouts that they had purchased. She took every precaution to make sure that they couldn't be overheard or found out as to what they were doing. She sent Kingsley on an apparition expedition with flooing in between. Finally, he arrived at their planned place and knocked on the door. Hermione opened it and he walked in looking a bit ruffled. Ron was there to greet him as well.

"Miss Granger, Mister Weasley," he greeted in a gruff tone.

"Hello Minister. We're sorry for making you go through so many hoops to get here," Hermione greeted.

They walked into the kitchen and he sat down and took some tea. "Well, I imagine that you wouldn't have me do that unless it was very important," he answered.

"Yes, well, it's about Harry," Ron told him.

Kingsley looked up at him and his eyes got a bit misty. "Three years just this past week," he muttered.

They both nodded. "Well, what if we told you that he's alive?" she questioned.

Kingsley's eyes took on a suspicious look. "I would ask you if you had lost your mind," he replied.

"Then ask because it's true," Ron replied.

Kingsley looked between the two, honesty quite apparent on their faces. He sat up straighter. "Harry's alive?" he asked.

"Yes, but his accident was not an accident. Someone in your Ministry made the call to take him out and leave him for dead," Hermione replied.

Kingsley stood up angrily. "I sincerely hope you're not accusing me of making that call," he demanded.

Hermione shook her head, trying to stay calm. "No. Ron and I believe that there are people in the Ministry who are resistant to change. I believe that you are fully aware of that," she responded.

"Of course, I'm bloody well aware of that. I've got people that I trust explicitly investigating them and building a case. We can't take this further until we have an air tight case. With this new information, well, that needs to be investigated more. I don't think we'll have as much resistance to reopening the death investigation on Harry from those who are working for me. If he's still alive, where has he been?" he replied angrily.

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. "We'd rather not disclose that, but he is alive. He's different. They took his memories," Ron replied.

Kingsley sat down and hung his head for a moment. "Why?" he asked quietly.

"They're against change. Harry was changing the auror department. It wouldn't stop there and that made them nervous. The easiest thing to do would be to take Harry out. We found him and he didn't remember us. We sent him away for his own safety," Hermione explained choking up.

Kingsley shook his head. "Why are you coming to me now? If Harry is safe, why bring it up now? We are building a case against them and that takes time, but there doesn't seem to be a rush right now," he questioned in confusion.

"Because someone in the Ministry sent Draco Malfoy to find a missing person in the place that Harry is," Ron replied.

Kingsley looked between them both. "Did Mister Malfoy find him?" he asked in a worried tone. They both nodded. "That's not good," he whispered. "Who hired him?"

Hermione smiled slightly. "Actually, I have a feeling that Malfoy is not going to turn him in. I'm not worried that he found him. I think he'll actually be able to help him. As far as whom it was, I'm not sure. I'll see if I can contact Malfoy and find out," she replied confidently.

Kingsley looked up at Ron for confirmation. He nodded in agreement although it was a bit reluctant. "Okay, well, I will give this new information to my trusted investigators," he began, but stopped when Hermione and Ron gave him an alarmed look. He raised his hand in a calming gesture. "Not that Harry is alive, that the investigation into his death needs to be reopened. I will hold that knowledge close to my heart. I will admit that my heart feels lighter knowing that Harry is alive albeit heavier in the sense that it wasn't an accident. Thank you for the new information. I will keep you posted and please let me know if there is anything else that you learn," Kingsley continued.

He stood and shook Hermione and Ron's hands. He left and took the long way back to the Ministry. His mind was whirring with who was responsible for Harry's predicament and who knew that he was alive and how they found out.

 **XXXX**

After lunch, Harry and Draco were walking back up to where Hedwig was at earlier that morning. They were both quiet until they arrived. Draco was less nervous this time. Harry leaned against the railing and sighed. "I am the missing person, aren't I?" he asked quietly.

Draco walked up and joined him. He sighed and looked over at him. "The more and more I'm here and based on the rest of the dragon keepers here, I think you are. However, it's possible that someone in town is the one they're looking for, but it doesn't match up with my evidence," he replied quietly.

Harry hung his head. "Somehow I feel that it is me. But I don't know who would be looking for me. I really do feel like I don't have a family, well, a true family anyway. There's something familiar about Charlie though and I can't place it. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong," he contemplated.

"I could tell you what I know, if you'd like or we can just ignore that someone is looking for you and pretend that I'm just here on holiday," he offered.

Harry looked over at him and grinned. "That would be easier, but I never do anything the easy way," he replied with a wink.

Draco snorted. "Ain't that the truth." He bumped Harry's shoulder and rolled his eyes. Harry stood up and leaned down and kissed Draco deeply. He responded immediately and gripped his arms as he lost himself in the kiss. Who knew it could have been this way all those years? How could he have not wanted it this way?

Harry broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Draco's. "Tell me everything," he whispered.

Draco sighed and nodded. "Shall we go down to your private spot?" he asked.

Harry nodded and they started off to his hiding place. It didn't seem to take as long and soon they were sitting on the boulder table, looking out at the pond. "You and I met when we were eleven. I met you in a robe shop first. I didn't know who you were then, but I recall being quite the brat. When we met again at Hogwarts, that's the school we went to, I insulted the first person you became friends with in the Wizarding world and from then on we were sworn enemies. I was always jealous of you or your friends for one reason or another. You had two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger," Draco paused as Harry gasped and closed his eyes. His face softened as if he was remembering them.

"Those names sound so familiar and I can picture them in my head. Ron, he looks like Charlie because Charlie is his brother and Hermione has brown bushy hair and brown eyes. I…. That's who those people are," he muttered as he stared off at the pond for a moment.

"Yes, they are your best friends. You guys got into so much trouble together and were constantly conquering things throughout school. A crazy professor who was possessed by the Dark Lord, a basilisk that was released by Ron's sister who was influenced by a diary that belonged to the Dark Lord and that my father put in her hands, a traitor, cheating death when you brought the Dark Lord back to power unwillingly, a prophecy, Death Eaters, and then finally the Dark Lord himself," Draco continued.

Harry's eyes widened as images started to make more sense with what Draco was saying. "The Dark Lord?" he asked in confusion.

"Voldemort," he whispered, shuddering at his name.

Harry's eyes widened and he looked away from Draco for a moment and closed his eyes. "Yes, that all sounds so familiar and puts more images together," he replied in awe.

"You saved the Wizarding world when you defeated him. You're a hero, Harry," he finished.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not a hero. I had _a lot_ of help," he responded. He gasped as he looked over at Draco in surprise at his words. "I remember that."

Draco nodded. "Yes, you did, but ultimately, you are the one they see as the ultimate hero because you defeated the Dark Lord with your own hand. I don't agree with that, not anymore anyway, because I know how much help you had. I didn't at the time. The rest of the Wizarding world has put their sole focus on you as the hero. They worship you, even more so than they did the time before that you defeated him," he explained.

Harry scrunched his brows in confusion. "I defeated him more than once?" he questioned.

Draco nodded and then looked over at him with a sad look. "The Dark Lord heard a prophecy about someone who was born the same day and year as you. The prophecy basically told him that whoever it was would end up destroying him in the end. He chose you as the person it was about and he tried to kill your whole family. He killed your parents and then tried to kill you, but somehow the curse backfired and he basically disintegrated. His body was destroyed, but his soul or whatever it was that he had went away, but he was not truly dead, that's how he was able to come back later. People were so relieved and worshipped you then. Wizarding children grew up learning about you, even the families who supported the Dark Lord. I think I knew more about you than you did before you found out you were a wizard," he explained.

Harry nodded. All of this made sense to him. He helped bring his dreams and nightmares into focus and helped him make connections. "So we were enemies just because you were a brat and made fun of my first friend?"

"Ah, well, I was a prat. Complete and utter, spoiled rotten, prat," he began. He looked over at Harry who was lifting his brow in question. Draco shrugged. He could admit it now, albeit very reluctantly because he still didn't like to admit when he was wrong. "I was also Lucius Malfoy's son, the right hand man of the Dark Lord. Pure-blood ideals and morals. Everyone should worship and envy me. I was everything that you weren't. That's why we were enemies," he continued.

"You're making that up. That doesn't sound like you at all," Harry pointed out.

Draco laughed. "Ah, yes, well, I had a big dose of humble potion at the end of the war. Not literally, of course, but I realized a lot of things, actually that was before the end of the war, but either way, I learned a lot and realized how wrong I was. I like to believe that I'm better now," he responded thoughtfully.

Harry reached over and squeezed his hand. "Based on what you're telling me, you must be better if I'm even talking to you or kissing you," he replied with a wink.

Draco blushed and rolled his eyes. "Well, I will take the compliment then," he replied.

"So if I have this complete life away from here, why am I here? Have I always been a dragon keeper?" Harry asked after awhile.

Draco frowned and shifted his weight nervously. "It's speculation as to why you're here. I wouldn't want to tell you unless I knew I was more than right," he replied quietly.

Harry nodded. "Very well. Listen, um, I need to be alone right now. Can I catch up with you later?" he asked quietly.

Draco stood up straight and frowned over at him. He reached out and set his hand on his arm. Harry didn't flinch away. "Are you going to be okay? I just unloaded a bunch of stuff on you. I don't want to just leave you like this," Draco said in a worried tone.

Harry looked over at him and smiled softly. "I'll be okay, Draco. I appreciate you telling me. I just need to process it all," he replied.

Draco frowned slightly, but nodded. He jumped down from the boulder and then leaned forward and kissed Harry's cheek. "I'm staying at the inn that's in town if you want to come by later. Otherwise, I'll come back tomorrow, if that's alright," he said.

Harry nodded and smiled over at him. "Alright, I'll see you," he said. Draco nodded and turned and left him be. He had no idea what to do with himself now, but it seemed that he would need to send a status report and contact Hermione. Maybe talk to Charlie again.

 **XXXX**

Draco made it back to the main building and found Charlie talking to some other keepers. He looked up when Draco walked in and frowned slightly. He walked over to him, picking up on his mood. "Where's Harry?" he asked quietly as he gestured into an office area, the one that Harry had come out of that morning.

"He's in his private spot. He asked me about his past, Weasley, and I told him," Draco said, sounding heart stricken.

Charlie's frown deepened, but not about what Draco had told Harry, more about his tone. He sounded devastated. "Well, how did he take it?" he asked.

Draco shrugged. "He said that things made more sense now. He said that his dreams and nightmares connected more now and it seemed that he might remember things. I told him about your brother and Granger and he described them and made the connection that you're Ron's brother. He seemed shocked and surprised, but after sitting for a bit, he told me he needed to be alone," he explained his tone worried.

Charlie smiled slightly at him. "You said he is in his private spot?" Draco nodded absently. "He's never taken anyone down there," he continued.

Draco nodded again as he worried his lip. "Yes, I know, he told me. Why?" he asked picking up on his tone.

"You are the first person to get through to him since he's been here and believe me, many have tried. He is quite popular with the visiting dragon enthusiasts," he replied.

Draco bristled at this and looked around for these invisible threats. Charlie laughed a bit at that. "He hasn't had any sorts of relationships since he's been here?" he asked in disbelief.

Charlie shrugged. "I think he's had experiences, but nothing earth shattering. No one has appealed to him the way you have. Probably from your history," he replied.

Draco smiled slightly. "Well, then I guess, go me," he said with a chuckle.

"Look, I know you didn't know Harry very well as a child, but Ron has told me that when he needs to sort through things, he wants to be alone. He knows where you're staying so he'll seek you out or you'll come back here. Don't worry about it too much. Harry's strong. He'll get through this just like everything else," Charlie assured him.

Draco nodded. "Alright, well, thank you. I'm going to head back to my inn. I'll send a status report to the guy who sent me here and contact Granger. Hopefully, I'll see you tomorrow," he replied.

"See you later," Charlie said to him.

Draco started to leave and then he turned back around. "Hey, that Vinnie guy," he paused while Charlie nodded. "Who brought him here?"

Charlie shrugged slightly. "I know it was a couple of aurors. He had worked in the Department of Mysteries, I think. He was just struggling to stay human, so they brought him here. Harry was gone when he came here," he explained.

Draco frowned. "Is he under the wards here? I heard Harry tell him that he was supposed to stay in the southern mountains."

Charlie frowned thoughtfully. "Well, not these ones, no. We have special wards for him. If he wants to, he can change and go wherever he wants. But, if he saw Harry at some point, he wouldn't have remembered it outside the wards," he replied.

Draco frowned. "Yeah, but couldn't he have seen him and floo called or sent an owl out of here?" he asked.

"No, because he would have to know him beforehand. He'd meet him, but not make the connection," he replied.

Draco nodded. "Well, alright. I will see you later then," he replied. He turned and left.

 **XXXX**

Draco made it back to his inn and sat in his room for several moments looking out across the mountains. So much had happened that day and he just didn't know what to make of it all. Harry was alive. Living and breathing and they had a second chance. Harry had kissed him, several times. He still wasn't sure what to think about that. It was definitely not something he would ever expect from him.

He sighed and shook his head. He turned from the window and penned a letter to Theodore Edgecombe. He hoped he could give just enough, but not reveal that he'd found their missing person.

 _Mr. Edgecombe,_

 _I arrived at the planned location last night. I've spoken with a few people in the town and will continue to ask questions over the next couple of days. Do you have any more details that you can give me about the missing person? Do you have a contact here that might be able to give me more information? I will send another status report should anything new come up._

 _Sincerely,_

 _D. Malfoy_

He pocketed the note and then walked over to the fireplace and kneeled down. He wanted to fire call Hermione and talk to her about what he'd seen and what was happening and if she knew. He sighed, unsure how to contact her. He stood again and decided to send her an owl instead.

 _Granger,_

 _I really need to speak with you. Let me know how we can make that happen. Thank you._

 _Sincerely,_

 _D. Malfoy_

He pocketed that note and then walked out of his room. He walked down to the front desk and waited until someone came out. The man from the night before came out and smiled at him. "Ah, Mister Malfoy, how are you fairing today?" he asked

"Fine, thank you. I had quite the experience up at the dragon reserve today," he replied.

The man nodded. "Yes, it's always an experience, but it's exciting nonetheless."

Draco nodded. "Can you direct me to the post?" he asked.

"Of course. You're going to go out the inn and to the right. The post office is at the beginning of the town on the left," he explained.

Draco nodded and thanked the man. He walked out of the inn and started down the road, heading in the direction he had come from the day before. He found the post building and walked in. He whistled for an owl and one flew down and landed on his arm. He pulled out Edgecombe's letter, double checking that it was his and sent it off. The other letter, he tied to another bird and sent it off to Hermione.

He watched them fly away for a moment and then went back up to the inn. He didn't think he'd see Harry the rest of the day. It bothered him immensely, but he had to give him space to think.


	5. Hedwig

**A/N: Here's another chapter for you all! There is some minor cursing in here and some boy on boy time :) Enjoy!**

Harry sat on the rock table in his private sanctuary and stared at the shimmering pond. His mind was full of so much information and he didn't even know where to begin. He had this whole other life that he couldn't remember, but everything that Draco had told him sounded so familiar. He had connected some of what he was told by Draco to dreams he had. He shook his head and jumped down from the rock. He was tired and overwhelmed. Some rest would probably put things in to more perspective. He walked over to his hammock and climbed on. He cast a shield charm around himself to keep him safe from bugs and curious dragons. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

 _Sitting in a shack on a huge rock during a giant storm, banging on the door, it opens and the biggest man Harry had ever seen walked in…. "You're a wizard, Harry." …. A red-haired boy, sitting on a train, holding a rat… Ron Weasley… Bushy brown-haired girl, crouched in a bathroom with a troll busting it up… Hermione Granger…. Blonde boy with a sneer so severe there was no mistaking his intentions…. Draco Malfoy….. images flitting around introducing Harry to so many new people…. an old wizard who he had seen in so many dreams…. Dumbledore….stern witch….Professor McGonagall…. Neville….Luna….Ginny….Voldemort….Sirius…. danger… heartbreak….loss… fire and Draco Malfoy…_

 _All the dreams and images came together, every memory, everything that he'd been through that was taken from him. His auror training came to mind along with a host of cases that he went on. The memories stopped when he saw himself crouching behind a boulder. Nothing came to him then._

Harry gasped loudly and sat up on the hammock. His heart was racing and he was breathing so quickly that he thought he was going to pass out again. The years that had been blocked in his mind for three years came back, all the way up until the end of his dream. That was important. There was a reason why that was still blocked.

He shook his head and felt tears coming to his eyes. He had this whole other life that included best friends that he didn't even know existed. His feelings towards Draco were even more confusing now because of what he remembered. How could he be so attracted to a man that had treated him and his friends horribly for six years? _Because he's not that person anymore._ Harry shook his head at that thought. Draco was different now. Somehow he knew that he was a lot different, even before meeting him again. He remembered that he donated to a lot of charities and donated a lot of money to help rebuild Hogwarts. He had helped a lot of people find missing family and friends and cherished heirlooms.

He had looked extremely surprised and happy that he was alive. _That had to mean something, right?_ Harry got off the hammock and ran out of his sanctuary. He ran all the way to the main building in search of Charlie. He found him alone in his office.

"Charlie!" he exclaimed breathlessly.

Charlie turned around and looked at him in surprise. He stood up, thinking that there was some sort of danger. "What's the matter?" he asked, wand already in hand.

"I remembered a lot of things," he whispered.

Charlie's eyes widened. "You do?" he asked.

"Yes. Draco, I mean, Malfoy, I mean, Draco gave me just enough information to connect everything. I fell asleep and all my dreams and nightmares that I've been having came together and they all make sense now. I need to talk to Ron and Hermione," Harry insisted.

Charlie smiled slightly and stood up. He walked around Harry who was watching him in confusion. Charlie closed the door and turned back. "You can't talk to them right now," he replied quietly.

"Why not? I've missed three fucking years of their lives! I want to talk to my friends!" he cried sounding almost petulant.

Charlie sighed. "Harry, they know you're alive and they've known all along. You're here because of them. They brought you here to keep you safe. You can't contact them right now. Please, just trust me," he insisted.

"You want me to trust you when you've known all along who I was and you never fucking told me?" he demanded.

Charlie sighed. "Yes, I want you to trust me. There are reasons you can't contact them, okay? Look, let me give you these," he said in a calm voice, trying to help Harry to cool down. Charlie tapped a drawer in an intricate pattern and his drawer opened up. He reached in and pulled out bundled letters. He handed them to Harry who looked at the large stack in surprise.

"What are these?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Those are letters from Hermione and Ron. They've been sending weekly letters since you've been here," he stated.

Harry's eyes swam for a moment with tears and he nodded. "Excuse me," he said as he walked out of Charlie's office and went straight to his own flat. He had some reading to do.

 **XXXX**

Draco woke up the next morning and stretched languidly. As had been expected, he hadn't seen Harry the night before and he hadn't seen Charlie at the pub either. He sat up and saw two owls sitting on the balcony, waiting for him. He popped the door opened and walked out. He took the notes and the birds flew off. Apparently, the senders didn't need a response.

He recognized the seal on one letter and decided to open that one first.

 _Mr. Malfoy,_

 _We do not have a contact in the area. We simply received word from someone who had been there recently. The man you're looking for is rather famous from our Ministry. We chose you because we know that you and this person had a connection while at Hogwarts. We hoped that you would use that connection to find him. Please do not contact me again until you've found him._

 _Sincerely,_

 _T. Edgecombe_

Draco's eyes widened and his stomach churned in anxiety. It was clearer than ever that Harry was who they were looking for. He shook with his anxiety and then set the letter down. He opened the other note.

 _Lion's Cottage_

That was it. Draco frowned for a moment. _What does this mean?_ He laughed and shook his head. Obviously this was from Hermione. He walked over to the floo, grabbed some powder, knelt down, tossed it in, and called out Lion's Cottage. It wasn't long before he was looking into a modest sitting room where someone was sitting on a couch behind a book.

"Granger?" Draco guessed.

The book dropped and sure enough, Hermione was behind it. She set it down and walked over to kneel in front of the fireplace. "Malfoy. I'm glad you understood my message," she greeted.

"It took me a moment, but yes," he replied.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" she asked even though the knowing look in her eyes gave it away that she already knew what he wanted.

"You knew he was alive?" he asked. She nodded. "You sent him here to keep him safe?" She nodded again. Draco sighed and hung his head. "I told him about himself. I left him to think. I haven't seen him since," he finished.

Her eyes widened. "What did you tell him?" she asked quietly.

"I gave him the very basics of who he was and what he had experienced. He was having dreams and nightmares and when I started talking, he connected some things. I imagine that he did the same after I left. He knew something was missing. I had to tell him," he explained.

She nodded and smiled slightly. "I told Charlie that you might be able to unblock some of those memories. I see that I was right."

"Yes, but this might harm him more than help him," he replied worriedly.

Hermione tipped her head to the side and gave him a contemplative look. "You like him?" she questioned.

Draco startled and blushed slightly. "He's very easy to like when he doesn't remember who you are and is friendly," he muttered.

She laughed. "Well, maybe he'll give you another chance or something," she suggested.

Draco shrugged. "What do we do now? Harry is for sure the missing person that the Ministry is looking for," he asked.

She nodded gravely. "Yes, I know. Who hired you?" she asked.

"Theodore Edgecombe," Draco replied.

Hermione's eyes widened. She scribbled on something next to her. "I've spoken to the Minister. He knows that something is going on and they are investigating. This will give him more information, I'm sure. Thank you. Listen, just stay there with him and keep him safe. Don't let him come back here. It's not safe for him yet. Please, keep him safe," she repeated.

"Alright, just keep me posted, okay?" he asked.

She nodded and cut the connection. Draco rubbed his face roughly and sat back on his heels. He frowned thoughtfully for a moment and then stood to get ready for the day. He was going to head back up to the dragon reserve and see how Harry was.

Draco left a half an hour later. He grabbed a muffin and tea from the bakery and headed up the road to the dragon reserve. He walked with purpose and was pleased not to hear any roaring or yelling on the way up. When he arrived at the gate, the same man as the day before let him in with a slight smile. Draco nodded to him and then continued up the road. He walked to the main building and ran into Charlie coming out looking a bit frazzled.

"Oh, hey, Charlie, is Harry around?" he asked.

Charlie looked at him and frowned. He shook his head. "I haven't seen him since last night. He was a bit upset, but he was in his flat when I turned in for the night."

Draco frowned thoughtfully. "Well, which is his flat? I'll check there first then," he said quietly.

"The one with the red painted door," he replied with a laugh.

Draco nodded and turned to walk over to the flat. He walked up, took a deep breath, and knocked loudly. He waited for a couple of minutes before he knocked again. There was still no response. He frowned slightly and then turned to head towards his secret spot. If he was going to be anywhere, it would be there.

He walked down the path that led towards his sanctuary. He had his wand at the ready as he reached the entrance to Harry's place. He stepped through and looked around. He didn't see him there either. He frowned and stepped in further. He looked over at the waterfall and froze. Standing underneath the waterfall was Harry and Draco couldn't move or blink.

He had no clothes on whatsoever and he stood in such a way that Draco could see everything. "Merlin," he breathed as he stepped forward as if he were drawn to Harry.

Harry turned and his eyes met Draco's. Draco stopped again and stared at him with his eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Harry's skin looked flushed which confused Draco since he figured he'd be chilled because of the water. Harry ran his hands through his hair and stepped forward some so that the waterfall slid down his back.

Harry beckoned to Draco. His eyes widened as he saw Harry's beckoning finger. _Salazar's bollocks_. Draco gulped and stepped towards the water. Harry shook his head and gestured to Draco's clothes. He blushed and nodded. _Right, clothes_. Draco took his shirt off, slipped out of his shoes, and pulled his trousers down, taking his socks with them. He stepped into the pond, but Harry shook his head again and gestured to Draco's pants. Draco gulped again and slid them off, tossing them behind him. Harry nodded his approval and then beckoned to him again.

Draco stepped forward and kept walking. It wasn't long before the water was to his waist. It was warmer than he expected. He felt like Harry was drawing him towards him by magic. Hell, maybe he was. He stopped though a few meters from Harry and looked over at him with an uncertain look.

"I-" he began, but Harry shook his head.

"Shh, don't say a word," Harry whispered.

Draco's eyes widened. This was not what he expected. Harry brought his arm up and held his hand out to Draco. Draco eyed him uncertainly, but threw caution to the wind and moved forwards to take Harry's hand. Harry pulled him towards him and Draco slipped, falling into Harry's arms. He recovered and stood up straighter, looking down at Harry. He went to speak again, but Harry just shook his head and leaned up and kissed him. Draco responded instantly and stepped closer. Their arousals bumped and they both broke away for a moment gasping.

"Harry," Draco began, but Harry cut him off with another deep kiss. He wrapped his arms around Draco's shoulders, pulling him as close as he could, pressing his entire body against his. Draco's hips jerked forward eliciting another gasp from both of them. Harry kept one arm wrapped around Draco's shoulders and slid the other one down his side and caressed his stomach. Draco's knees shook from his touch. He felt Harry slide his hand down to Draco's quickly hardening cock and gasped, breaking the kiss and burying his face in his shoulder. He felt Harry smile against his shoulder as he moved his hand slowly up and down his cock. Draco's knees became weaker and weaker and he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to keep his balance.

Harry kept up his movements, but as soon as Draco's mind cleared and he brought his hand between them to take Harry into his hand, Harry started to lose the hold he had over Draco. They caressed each other, matching each other's pace, and were soon gasping and coming all over their hands.

Draco was gasping as Harry pulled him back under the warmth of the waterfall. The water cleaned away the evidence of their snogging session and yet they continued to kiss as the water cascaded around them. Finally, Harry broke away from him and started walking towards the shore. Draco enjoyed watching him walk away, but that didn't change the fact that he was really, really confused right now.

He followed and watched as Harry simply cast a drying charm on himself and then stood there and looked at Draco expectantly. Draco blushed and stepped onto the shore, allowing Harry to dry him with a charm. "Harry, please explain to me what just happened," Draco requested in a quiet voice.

Harry sighed and turned, giving Draco another glorious view of his arse. Draco bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to stay focused. Harry lay down on the hammock and Draco followed him, stopping next to the hammock and looking down at him, waiting for an answer. He nearly forgot that he didn't have any clothes on.

"I remembered everything yesterday, up until a certain point," he said quietly.

"Okay. I didn't expect that sort of reaction from what I'm sure you remembered of me," Draco whispered, hanging his head.

Harry gestured to a spot next to him. Draco summoned his pants and slipped into them. Harry frowned. "I can't focus if I'm completely naked. I'm already having a hard enough time seeing you that way," Draco pointed out in a slightly petulant tone as he gestured at Harry's nakedness.

Harry summoned his own pants and slid them on, giving Draco an expectant look. Draco blushed and lay down next to him. He stared up at the trees that were above him. "I did remember you, all of you," he replied.

Draco sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Harry slid his hand over to Draco's and linked their fingers together. "I remember how you were as a child, as a young man, and as the man you are now. It was easier to remember it all at once, I suppose, especially considering how I felt about you now," he explained.

"I thought you'd be angry at me or never want to see me again or something," Draco replied.

Harry shrugged. "Yes, I'm angry, but not at you. I'm angry at the person who made me forget half of my life. As far as that," he paused as he gestured out at the pond, "that was because I wanted you and I decided to have you," he finished with a nonchalant shrug.

Draco looked over at him with a lifted brow. "Wow, that's pretty decisive of you," he replied in surprise.

Harry shrugged again. "I haven't made any major decisions myself in three years. I've been told where to go or sent somewhere to keep me safe. I had no say which is exactly how it was when I was at Hogwarts. I was guided into decisions, not allowed to make them for myself even though at the time it seemed like I was making my own decisions. I wanted you, despite our past, and I made the decision to have you. It's as simple as that," he explained.

Draco popped up on his elbow and looked down at Harry. The hammock swayed for a moment, making Draco's stomach swish unpleasantly for just a moment. "Well, I'm not complaining here at all. That was the hottest thing I've ever done," he replied with a blush.

Harry laughed and shook his head. "I'm sure that you've had many more enjoyable exploits than that," he said as he gestured out to the pond.

Draco shook his head. "No, nothing that remotely topped that. How is that water so warm by the way?" he questioned.

Harry smirked and glanced up at the top. "There is a very old dragon that is at the very top of this waterfall. The water is heated by his fire and body. He doesn't move much so more often than not, this waterfall and pond are nice and warm," he explained.

Draco's eyes widened and he looked up at the waterfall with a fearful look. "That's a lovely thought," he whispered.

Harry smiled and pulled Draco down for a kiss. The hammock swayed again, but Draco barely noticed as he got lost in the kiss. "I want to see Ron and Hermione," he whispered against Draco's lips.

Draco leaned back and frowned at him. He looked apologetic. "I talked to Granger this morning. She doesn't want you to come home yet. It's not safe. She's working with the Minister to figure out who did this to you."

Harry narrowed his gaze. "I can't even floo her? I just want to see her no matter how distorted it is," he responded angrily.

Draco shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know. She just told me that she wanted me to keep you safe and have you stay here. She's worried about you and worried about what's happening over there. I want to keep you just as safe as she does," he replied.

"Why are you concerned about my safety?" he demanded.

Draco sat up somewhat and glared at him. "Seriously? You don't know after yesterday and today?" he demanded back.

"So we kissed a little and pleasured each other. That doesn't explain why you're so concerned about my safety, especially with our history!" Harry exclaimed.

Draco sat up, the hammock swaying dangerously. "I care about your safety because I care about you. When everyone found out that you died, I grieved for you. I was devastated that you died. My feelings for you then were nothing compared to now. Don't you dare question my concern for your safety, Potter," he stated in a firm, heated tone.

He jumped down from the hammock and walked over to his clothes. He started putting them on angrily. He was so lost in his thoughts and anger that he didn't notice that there was another set of eyes watching him, zeroing in on him.

"Malfoy," Harry called out in an overly calm voice. Draco closed his eyes, his heart shuddering at the use of his surname.

"I'll be going now," he said as he put his shirt on. He started to slip into his shoes when a loud thump sounded behind him.

He stood up straighter and turned slowly to see what had thumped behind him. He froze and stared into bejeweled eyes. _Shit_. Staring back at Draco was Hedwig. She must have heard them arguing. He turned his head and bowed slightly to the dragon.

Harry whistled and Hedwig turned to look at him curiously. "Hedwig, come here-" Harry paused and his eyes widened. Draco glanced over at him and saw realization set on his face and sadness cross his features. "I named her Hedwig," he said in a quiet voice as he stared at her. Draco remembered then that Harry's owl had been named Hedwig and looked very similar to the dragon in the color scheme anyway. However, now was not the time for Harry to remember that tidbit.

Draco watched as the sadness on his look increased and Hedwig turned back to look at him. Draco looked down again, hoping that what he was doing was going to keep him relatively safe because Harry was of no help right now. Hedwig snorted though and stepped closer to Draco. He was shaking at this point and he went to his knees, keeping his eyes down. He brought his arms up slowly and wrapped them around his head. He curled into a ball, accepting his fate, whatever Hedwig decided for him.

He heard the whistle again and turned slightly to see Harry trying to get Hedwig's attention. "Hedwig, leave him alone. Come here," he commanded, his voice strong.

Hedwig turned to look at him and started towards him. Harry tossed some meat at her and she caught it. Draco wondered briefly where the meat came from as Harry did not have any clothes on aside from his pants. She moved closer to him as he continued to lure her away from Draco. "That's it, girl, good," he stated as she came even closer.

Draco watched as Hedwig focused on Harry. She was close enough for him to pet her and he did. The dragon made contented growling sounds as he muttered soothing words to her. Finally, she beat her wings and took off, blowing dirt into Draco's direction. Draco breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't move from his curled up position.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered as he knelt next to Draco, touching his back. Draco shrugged his shoulders in response. "I'm still angry about all of this. Is it so horrible for me to want to see my friends?" he asked.

Draco turned his head slightly and looked up at him. He smiled slightly and shook his head. "No, it's not. Look, let's go to my room and I'll floo her and see if she'll be okay to talk to you."

Harry nodded and helped Draco up who dusted off his clothes. He turned and slipped into his shoes. When he turned back, Harry was clothed. He frowned slightly, but started for the exit, Harry trailing behind him.


	6. I Like You

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Things are revealed, feelings are discussed, Drarry sexy time, and up and down emotions so really just your typical chapter from me :). I hope you all enjoy and thank you for your reviews and follows! Also, an update on my other story that I told you about before. I have written two really long chapters and am working on another one. I'm going to get a bit further and fix the previous ten chapters before I post on it so just be a bit patient with me. It's hard work! Harder than my usual stories. Anyway, enjoy this chapter and only four more to go!**

Draco opened his door for Harry and then followed him in. They hadn't spoken the entire way there. It had been a long walk. "Wait right here, I'll floo call her," Draco said quietly as he walked over to the fireplace and made the call. Hermione appeared from behind a book again.

"Malfoy, I wasn't expecting to hear from you. Is everything alright?" Hermione asked as she came forward, looking worried.

Draco frowned slightly. "He wants to speak to you," he said.

Hermione's eyes widened. He didn't have to specify who. She knew. She looked worried for a moment and looked around. She flicked her wand several times, muttering under her breath. "Alright, I've added some protection. We can talk," she whispered.

Draco leaned back and looked over at Harry. Draco nodded and stood. Harry took his place immediately and looked into the fireplace. His eyes widened as he saw Hermione through the flames. She had tears in her eyes, but she was smiling.

"Mione," he whispered.

She laughed and shook her head. "It's so good to see you," she whispered back.

"Now that I remember, I've missed you terribly!" Harry exclaimed. She laughed again and nodded. "Are you alright? Is Ron okay? Merlin, it's so good to see you," he whispered, his voice awed.

Draco turned away and tried to give them some privacy. He didn't have much space to give them so he decided to go out on the balcony. Draco leaned against the railing and looked out into the mountains. He sighed. He wished that he could change some things that had happened like not allowing his feelings for Harry to interfere with keeping him safe or kissing him or touching him or falling for him. He groaned and settled his chin onto his folded arms.

He scrunched his eyes up in confusion when he saw someone walking from the south. He recognized that walk. They were far away, but he'd recognize that gait anywhere. He gasped and stumbled back. He flicked his wand at a nearby leaf and quickly transfigured it into muggle binoculars. He put them up to his face and looked down at the man more closely. "Oh no," he whispered.

He sank down on the balcony, hiding himself from view. He was sure that the man wouldn't see him. He shouldn't be seeing him. He had disappeared two years ago from his job in the Department of Mysteries. Draco had thought that his onetime friend had gone into hiding or died. He never expected to see him here and so close to…. Draco sat up straighter as realization struck him. _That's how they knew Harry was here,_ he thought.

He reached up and opened the door, crawling back into his room. Harry was still talking to Hermione. He crawled over which caught Harry's attention. He looked at him with wide eyes, looking concerned. "What is it?" he asked. Hermione's attention was on him as well.

"I know how they found out that you're here," he whispered.

"How?" Hermione asked.

"Gregory Goyle," he whispered looking stricken.

Harry's eyes scrunched up in confusion. "Goyle? What makes you think that?" he asked. Aside from Charlie, Draco had been the only person from his old life that he'd ever seen on the reserve.

Draco closed his eyes as he realized how he got into the reserve. "Vinnie," he whispered.

Harry narrowed his gaze. "What the hell are you talking about, Malfoy?" he demanded, confusion evident.

Draco's eyes shot up and he glared over at him. "Vinnie! The dragon animagi. That's Greg," he whispered harshly.

Harry's mouth dropped open and he stared back at Draco. That made sense. He was gone when he came in and anytime that he escaped, Charlie kept him busy with something else except for the one time nearly three dayss ago, when he ran into Vinnie in dragon form on accident. The dragon had seemed to pay him little mind at the time, but he had looked at him as if he knew him. His name was Vinnie, but that was obviously a nickname for….. "Vincent Crabbe, Vinnie," Harry whispered. Draco nodded.

"Oh, dear, oh dear. Alright, look, Harry, I need you to stay with Malfoy. Please stay with him and stay away from Vinnie or Goyle, whatever his name is. Please. I know that's hard for you to do, but please stay with Draco. Keep yourself safe," Hermione begged.

Harry looked back at her and nodded. "Alright, Mione. I will. I'm so glad to see you. I'll talk to you soon," he said to her, smiling.

Hermione wiped at her eyes and smiled back. "I'm so happy to see you. Be careful," she said and then she cut the connection.

Harry leaned back, smiling despite the situation. He turned to look at Draco who was worrying his lip. Harry zeroed in on that. Draco looked up and met his heated eyes. Draco felt himself blush at the way he was looking at him. Harry crawled over to him and kissed him. Draco slid backwards and leaned back. Harry went to kiss him again, but he put his hand up in a stopping gesture. Harry frowned at him.

"No, I can't let you kiss me right now. We need to talk about earlier, okay? I refuse to kiss you anymore until we talk," he insisted.

Harry sighed and leaned back on his heels. Draco leaned back on his hands, Harry kneeling between his knees. "I'm sorry for questioning you. I should have known better than that, but my feelings towards you are still very confusing," he replied quietly.

Draco sighed. "What confuses me is that you can kiss me and snog me and touch me and then get pissed off at me in the next second. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised, it's us. We've always been that way to each other and always been able to get under each other's skin. Merlin, Harry, I just, I like you, okay? I am so happy that you are alive. I just wish we had a chance. Maybe I wished too much," he muttered.

"You didn't wish too much. Gah, I don't know how to do this anyway. It's been way too long and you're the first person that I've wanted this much in years. But you're also my childhood nemesis who made me so angry so many times. It's all too confusing," Harry replied, sighing in the end.

"So what do we do, Harry? Do we just ignore what we feel and pretend none of it happened? Or do we throw caution to the wind and see what happens between us?" Draco questioned.

"I can't ignore you now any more than I could when we were kids," Harry whispered as he looked up at Draco. He leaned forward and crawled towards Draco again. This time Draco didn't stop him when he kissed him. He didn't stop him when he pushed Draco back to lying on the carpet. He didn't stop him when he started unbuttoning his shirt. He didn't stop him when he left his lips and began kissing a path down his chest and to his trousers.

Draco's head tilted back as Harry unbuttoned his trousers and pulled them down followed by his pants. Harry stared down at him and then looked back up at Draco, eyes wider than normal. Draco met his gaze and watched as Harry leaned down and took Draco into his mouth. Draco cried out, arching his back and trying so hard not to buck into him. Harry laughed quietly against him and continued his assault of tongue, lips, and sucking. Draco's heart was pounding and his mind was racing. Charlie had mentioned that Harry had experiences, but he didn't expect him to be this good.

Draco lost himself in the experience. He stopped thinking altogether. He reached down and grabbed Harry's hair, directing his head just enough. Harry responded easily and then reached up, brushing his fingers along Draco's sac, then sliding his fingers down ever so lightly to his opening. That was all it took for Draco to tense and start coming. He couldn't even warn Harry. Of course, Harry being Harry took it in stride and took it all in. He lifted his head off of Draco's cock with a satisfied pop and grinned down at a panting Draco. It was brilliant.

"Seriously, Potter, is there anything you're not good at?" Draco asked as his panting subsided and he looked down at him. Harry was helping Draco with his pants and trousers. He finally settled next to him and smiled.

"I'm not very good about expressing my feelings appropriately. I like you, Draco, especially now that I remember everything and remember how you've changed before I lost my memory. You're the first person I've felt connected to in a long time, even before I was sent here. It's not surprising as you and I have always been connected in some way. I don't know, it still confuses me, but I simply can't stop being attracted to you or want you or want to spend time with you," he replied.

"Are you sure that's not the hormones talking?" Draco teased.

Harry glared at him, but then smiled. "It could be," he replied as he leaned down and kissed him. Draco brought one hand up to Harry's neck, cradling it.

"How do you feel now that you've talked with Granger?" Draco asked when they broke apart.

Harry smiled. "It was so good to hear her voice again and talk to her. I do wish that Ron had been there though, but next time we'll talk. Thank you for bringing me here to talk to her. I'm sure that I could have used Charlie's floo, but the fact that you would do that for me makes your feelings for me quite apparent," he responded quietly.

Draco grinned, but then it quickly turned into a frown as he remembered that Goyle had been here and that he was pretending to be someone else. "Oi, Harry, what are we going to do about Greg though? He must be the one who saw you," he said.

Harry frowned and stood up. He walked out onto the balcony and looked down. Draco joined him. "Where did you see him?" he asked.

"He was walking north towards the reserve," Draco replied.

Harry nodded. He conjured his patronus and sent a message to Charlie that Vinnie was heading to the reserve and not to trust him. "Let's head back to the reserve. We can floo from here to my flat and get there hopefully before he does," Harry explained.

Draco nodded. He threw in some floo powder and they both stepped in. Harry called out his flat and they disappeared into the flames. They tumbled out and brushed soot off their clothes. Harry made his way quickly out of his flat and found Charlie standing in the roadway, looking towards the gates and frowning. He turned when Harry and Draco ran up.

"Harry, thank Merlin. Are you alright?" Charlie demanded.

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I'm better today. Listen, Vinnie isn't who he says he is."

Charlie lifted his brow and looked between him and Draco. "What do you mean?"

"We were in my room at the inn and Harry was talking with Granger so I went out on the balcony and saw him walking down below. His real name is not Vinnie. It's Greg Goyle. He disappeared a couple of years ago and we all figured he either died or went into hiding. His best friend, the one who died during the battle, was Vincent Crabbe. He took his name when he came here. I strongly believe that Greg is the plant and how the ministry knows that Harry is here," Draco whispered.

Charlie's eyes widened. "But he's never seen Harry and we have charms here," he replied in disbelief.

"He has seen me though," Harry responded.

"He knew Harry at Hogwarts. The charms wouldn't work on him," Draco pointed out.

Harry frowned. "You had charms here? For what purpose?"

"It would prevent anyone from revealing that you were here. It works on everyone who didn't know you before," Charlie explained.

Harry frowned further, but didn't respond. "What do we do? If he can turn into a dragon, how are we supposed to capture him or whatever so that he can't hurt anyone?" Draco questioned.

"The gold handcuffs prevent him from changing. We just have to get them on him and not remove them again," Charlie replied.

"So what now?" Harry asked.

Charlie and Draco exchanged looks and then looked at Harry. He frowned at them. "He's heading here. We'll let him in and get those handcuffs on him before he can change. I want you to stay inside your flat, okay? Ron and Hermione would kill me if something happened to you," Charlie explained.

Harry glared slightly, but nodded. He wanted to step in and save the day, but he knew that it would be better to listen. He'd learned that much over the years. "Fine, but I'm not happy about this," he replied.

"I know you're not, but it's the way it needs to be. Draco, make sure he stays put," Charlie directed.

Draco nodded and they turned and returned to Harry's flat. Charlie went down to the gates to intercept Goyle.

Harry locked the door and walked over to his kitchenette and started making tea. Draco looked around and saw that the flat was distinctly Harry even if he didn't remember things from before. It was obvious that the things that he liked and the things that his friends liked were relevant in his house.

"Did you know that everything you have here is so distinctly you?" Draco commented as he gestured around the room.

Harry laughed as he brought the tea in and set it down on the coffee table. "Well, now that I have those memories back, I can tell what things are liked more by my friends than me. I've never been a big reader, but I have a huge amount of books. Although I like the Cannons, they aren't my favorite team. I enjoy plants, but not this much. Make-believe creatures, not me," Harry replied as he pointed out some specific things.

"It's like you were surrounding yourself with your friends, but not realizing it," Draco suggested as he took the cup that Harry offered him. Harry settled next to him, turning to face him more fully.

"Yeah, I think that sounds about right," he replied.

Draco smiled and turned towards him. "Now that you remember practically everything, what are you going to do? Are you going to stay here or go back to Britain?"

Harry frowned and shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, my previous life is there and my friends and well, you…." he trailed off, blushing.

Draco grinned. "You're including me in your considerations?" he asked in a slightly awed tone.

"Yes. I told you that I like you and I want to see where this goes. I want to be with you, but I'm not sure if I can leave this behind," he said with a frown as he gestured around.

Draco nodded in understanding. "I understand, even if I don't want to think about going back to Britain without you," he whispered.

Harry smiled at him. He set his cup down and leaned forward to kiss him. It was a tender kiss and it only lasted long enough for them to become breathless. "Will you stay with me tonight?" Harry asked, his cheeks coloring deeply.

Draco's eyes widened at the idea of staying the night. "Wow, um, yeah, of course. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else," he whispered in response.

Harry grinned and kissed him again. They both got lost in the kiss and used the time they were given wisely to simply be together and kiss and cherish the fact that Harry was alive and he remembered who he was and still wanted Draco despite their past.

 **XXXX**

Harry was in the middle of dinner when a knock sounded at his door. Draco stood from the couch and walked over to it. He cast a quick charm on it to make it transparent on one side. It was Charlie. Draco opened the door and motioned for him to come in.

"Is everything in order?" Draco asked. Harry came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.

"Yes. I managed to catch him off guard and get the cuffs on him before he could transform. We've put him in one of our dragon cages. I know that sounds inhumane, but he can change into a dragon and I don't want to chance it."

"No, I completely agree. Safety over humanity at this point. Now what are we going to do with him?" Draco asked.

"I want to talk to him," Harry stated.

Draco and Charlie both turned to look at him in shock. "Harry, that's not a good idea," Charlie said in a soothing tone.

"I don't fucking care. I want to know what the Ministry has in store for me and why he is here," Harry said in a heated tone.

Draco sighed. "He's had so much taken from him. I say that we let him," Draco said quietly. Harry looked over at him gratefully. Charlie sighed and nodded. He turned and they followed him out. He headed towards the main building, but then went around it instead. Draco's eyes widened as he came into a yard full of cages. They were mostly empty, but a few had dragons in them.

"What is this?" Draco whispered as he looked at the towering cages.

"This is where we keep new dragons or ones that have fallen ill. Sometimes they're used to transport dragons to other reserves or a Triwizard tournament," Charlie explained.

Harry shuddered next to Draco who reached out and squeezed his hand. Harry smiled over at him. Their interaction was not missed by Charlie who smiled to himself and continued leading them further into the throngs of cages. Finally, he stopped and Draco and Harry came to a stop behind him. Harry peeked around him and frowned over at the man who wasn't looking at them. His head was down.

"Vinnie?" Charlie ventured.

"Or should we say Goyle?" Draco added. That caught his attention as he looked up quickly, his brown eyes piercing Draco with a venomous glare. He spit angrily. That reaction surprised Draco.

"What the hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" he demanded, his voice rough.

"I was sent here by the Ministry to look into a missing person case, one that I'm sure you gave them evidence of," he replied in a heated tone.

Goyle glared at him. "I was pissed at the Ministry for sending me to this place just because they _thought_ I couldn't control my dragon. What wonders might appear that I should happen upon a dead man here living amongst the other keepers. I thought that the Ministry might find that interesting so I told them. How the fuck does that affect you in any way?"

"It affects me because it affects Harry," Draco responded angrily.

Goyle looked up at him, tilting his head to the side. He laughed sardonically. "Oh, for fuck's sake, Draco, you fell for the evil git, didn't you?"

"Evil? How dare you remotely associate evil with me! You followed the Dark Lord blindly and tried to have me killed in the Room of Requirement! You've effectively ruined my life!" Harry cried as he made his presence known.

Goyle looked up at him and slid back slightly. "You killed Vincent!" he cried.

"He killed himself the second he set that fire. I tried to rescue him, but he fell. I was only able to get Draco onto my broom. I did not kill him. I tried to save him," Harry insisted.

Goyle growled, sounding like a dragon. "I gladly told the Ministry where you were and I would turn you in myself if I could. Of course, now that Draco has fallen for you, there's no chance of that justice being served."

Harry crossed his arms and gave him a confused look. "Why would you want to help them? They sent you here because you couldn't control your dragon. Why on earth would you want to help them?"

Goyle snorted. "Because of you. The Ministry tried to kill you, but they failed because you somehow got away. Low and behold, a year later, I find you when I get sent here. Justice will be served. One way or another, you're going back," Goyle threatened.

Harry glared at him. It was obvious what his motives were. He didn't need to hear anymore. He turned on his heel and stalked away. Draco watched him go and then turned back to Goyle leveling his wand at him. Goyle cringed slightly. "You were my friend once, Greg. I can't believe you would work with the Ministry on this," Draco growled.

Goyle laughed which sounded more like a rumbling than a laugh. Draco cringed. "You're weak, Draco. You're just like the rest of them. Falling under Potter's spell. You make me sick," he whispered in disgust.

Draco's eyes widened and he stepped back, dropping his wand. He shook his head and turned to walk away. Charlie cast a few wards around the cage and said nothing to him other than glare at him before he walked away. He jogged to catch up with Draco who was still trailing Harry who was moving much faster than he anticipated.

"Draco, Harry's not going to stay here much longer. He's going to try to leave," Charlie warned.

Draco nodded. "I know. I don't even know if I want to stop him. Angry Harry Potter is very scary and he is infuriated," he whispered.

Charlie nodded and then they finally managed to catch up to Harry. "Harry! Wait! Slow down!" Draco called out.

Harry stopped and turned to look at him. He had a tortured expression on his face and as Draco looked back at him with concern, Harry grabbed him and pulled him into a hug, burying his face in his shoulder. Draco staggered for a moment and looked over at Charlie in surprise. He returned his focus to Harry and hugged him back. Harry leaned back and brought his hand up and cupped Draco's face. He kissed him, hard and when he broke away, Draco was beet red and glanced sideways at Charlie who was looking anywhere, but at them.

"What was that for?" Draco asked in a soft tone.

Harry smiled. "I'm just glad you're here," he replied quietly.

Draco grinned and nodded. He followed Harry towards his flat, Charlie trailing behind him. "Charlie, will you get word to Hermione that Goyle is the one who revealed I was here?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, of course," he replied. He turned and headed for his own flat as Draco and Harry entered his flat.

Draco watched as Harry walked over to the couch and plopped down, rubbing at his eyes. Draco walked over and sat down as well. Harry lay down and placed his head on Draco's thigh. Draco grinned and started running his fingers through his hair. Harry closed his eyes and sighed.

"I think that once I remember what happened the night I lost my memories, I'll feel more balanced than I do right now," Harry commented after awhile.

"You'll remember who cursed you then. Do you have any thoughts as to who it might be?" Draco questioned.

"I don't know. I trusted the people in my department, but maybe that was misplaced. I'm glad you're here though. At least something can feel normal in life," Harry whispered.

Draco laughed. "I'm pretty sure we're anything, but normal," he joked.

Harry smiled and opened his eyes to look up at him. "Part of what was missing was this, right here. Moments like these where the problems in my life are outside my home. Just being able to be with someone and care for them and focus on things that are happy and pleasant. You make me happy, Draco or you have the potential to make me happy and be that missing piece that I've so desperately been searching for," he replied quietly.

Draco's eyes widened and his heart swelled at the words he was hearing. "Harry, I, wow, I wished I had been sent here sooner than I was," he whispered.

Harry shook his head. "No, it happened the way it was supposed to."

Draco lifted his brow and looked down at Harry who had closed his eyes again. He continued running his fingers through his hair and it wasn't long before Harry was breathing softly, slipping into sleep. Draco sighed and tipped his head back against the sofa. He closed his eyes as he processed the day.


	7. He's Coming

**A/N: Here's another chapter! Now it starts off with some major sexy Drarry time so if you don't want to read that, skip it. After that, well, it's gonna get a bit crazy, kind of :) I hope you all enjoy. It seems like many of you were pleased by the last chapter! I love that :) Thank you for the reviews and follows!**

A couple of hours later, Draco woke up when he felt Harry stir against him. He looked down and watched as Harry woke up, his green eyes blinking open. They focused on Draco and then Harry smiled up at him. "I could get used to this," he whispered as he sat up and turned to face Draco more easily.

Draco watched him, his cheeks coloring at his comment. "Waking up to me?" he asked.

Harry nodded and then moved to straddle Draco's legs. He grinned wickedly when Draco sucked in a breath, watching him closely. Harry leaned forward and pressed a feather light kiss to Draco's lips. Draco's eyes fluttered closed at the contact and he felt his stomach tighten in response. Harry kissed him again, this time with more force that didn't hide his intentions. His tongue brushed along Draco's lips, asking for entrance. He granted it and soon their kiss was deepening more. Draco was trying to move his hips up to meet Harry's movements, but he didn't have the leverage to do it. He just let Harry move against him, moaning every time he brushed against his growing erection.

Harry's hands slipped under Draco's shirt and he brushed his fingers against his stomach and up his chest, caressing his pecs and giving each nipple some undivided attention. Draco was all out panting now, feeling constricted within the confines of his trousers. He broke away, trying to catch his breath. He groaned as Harry ground into him harder than he had previously. Harry's hands slid out from his shirt and instead he gripped it and pulled it off Draco's head in one clean motion.

Harry stared down at Draco's bare chest, his fingers lightly tracing the scar that cut across his chest, the one that he put there, the one that he remembered now vividly. He looked up and met Draco's eyes looking apologetic, but he simply shook his head and pulled Harry down into another kiss. It was several more minutes of this before Harry finally growled and stood. Draco looked up at him in confusion, but when Harry put his hand out, he had an idea of what he was planning.

Draco took his hand and allowed Harry to lead him into a bedroom off the sitting room. He stared around and saw the same touches from the sitting room as were in the bedroom. Harry drew his attention away when he let go of his hand and walked towards his bed. Draco watched him uncertainly. He was frozen in place, wondering what he should do. He didn't have to wonder long as Harry was now removing his shirt, trousers, and pants with painstaking slowness. Draco's mouth was watering at the sight. This was it. Something he had never expected to happen was about to happen and all he felt was rightness with a bit of flapping butterflies of nervousness.

Once Harry was completely unclothed before him, Draco managed to step forward. Harry watched him with a heated gaze. He licked his lips as Draco stopped in front of him. Draco stared at him, taking in every part of him he could, looking him up and down. Finally, Harry reached out, clearly done with being checked out and started undoing Draco's trousers and pulling at his pants, allowing them to fall to the floor, pooling at his ankles. Draco's eyes widened as he looked down, but his distraction didn't last long as Harry pulled him onto the bed with him, somehow they fell in a graceful heap and were able to resume their sofa activities quickly.

Draco lay atop Harry, now having the leverage he wanted, and ground into him. Harry's head tilted back and his mouth parted, groaning at the contact. Draco grinned as he leaned forward and began kissing along Harry's exposed neck, nibbling in certain places. Harry's hips seemed to take on a mind of their own as they continued to buck into Draco. Draco moved away and looked down at Harry. "If you keep that up, I'm not going to last much longer," he whispered.

Harry's eyes flew open and locked with Draco's. "For what I want, I don't want you to come too soon," he replied.

Draco's eyes widened. He had known this was probably where they were heading, but he wasn't expecting the sudden nervousness that came with it. "Harry, I've never done that with someone before," he whispered, blushing.

Harry lifted his brow and smirked. "And you think I have?" he questioned quietly.

"Um, well, yeah, considering everything that we've done," he replied in confusion.

Harry smiled fondly at him. "Snogging, hand jobs, and blow jobs can be enough for a one-off. Sex has always been something that I would only do with someone I cared about enough and I want to have sex with you. I've never wanted to do that with anyone else," he whispered, his cheeks coloring with his confession.

Draco's eyes widened and his heart swelled again. He smiled and leaned down, kissing Harry passionately effectively ending their conversation. Harry moaned against his lips as they renewed their movements, perking up their waning erections. It wasn't long before Harry was pushing against Draco's chest and summoning a bottle of lube. He handed it to Draco allowing his knees to fall open to give him better access. Draco felt his heart pounding at what Harry was asking him to do. He'd never been this intimate with a man, but he was very much looking forward to it.

Draco opened the bottle and put a generous amount of lube on his fingers. He knew how this worked from his own perusal of himself during his private moments so he hoped that the same skills would transfer to Harry. He reached down and circled his entrance and based on the response he was getting from Harry, he didn't want him to wait much longer. He took a deep breath and pushed one finger into him slowly. Harry's breathing picked up and he tensed. It took him a moment to relax, but he did and allowed Draco to move, opening him up, stretching him out.

By the time Harry's was completely prepared; he was leaking and begging for Draco to enter him. Draco sat back on his heels and looked down at Harry. His eyes were open again and he locked on Draco's eyes again. Draco stared at him, completely lost in what was happening, the commitment they were making. He looked amazing and Draco felt himself becoming too emotional and he had to look away and refocus on what they were doing.

Draco reached down and put lube on himself. He bit the inside of his cheek at the touch. He wasn't going to last long, this had been too much. He took a deep breath though and lifted Harry's hips, leveling his entrance with his hard length. He pushed in painstakingly slow and waited several times for Harry to relax. It wasn't long before his tight heat surrounded him. He bit his lip, but a groan slipped out and his head tipped back, eyes closing at the sensation.

"Fuck," he whispered. Harry laughed quietly at his response. Draco opened his eyes and looked down at him again, seeing the look that Harry was giving him. His emotions kicked into high gear and he knew that if he didn't start moving, he was going to cry or something so he started to move in and out of him slowly at first and then picking up the pace as he went. He reached down to follow his movements with Harry's leaking cock in hand. It didn't take long for Harry to tense and start coming, his walls tightening almost painfully around Draco's cock. He came then, emptying every bit of himself into Harry.

Once they both stopped, Draco collapsed onto Harry and slid out of him. He couldn't move. Harry laughed and wrapped his arms around him, kissing the top of his head. "I'm never going to be able to move. I hope you are content with my full weight on you for the foreseeable future," Draco said as he lifted his head somewhat to look at Harry.

He laughed some more. "As long as you're naked, I see no problem with this," he joked.

Draco laughed and managed to roll off him so that cleaning could be done. Harry flicked his wand to clean up everything that needed to be cleaned up. He then lifted himself, pulling the blankets from underneath him, Draco helped and soon they were both under them with Draco lying across Harry's chest, one leg thrown over him, and Harry's arm holding him securely in place.

They lay there for several minutes thinking about what they had just done. "Draco, was this too much for you?" Harry asked after awhile.

Draco looked up at him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, right before we had sex, you looked like you were, well, I'm not sure. Overcome with emotion, I guess," he replied.

Draco blushed and looked back down. He brushed his fingers in random patterns across Harry's chest. "That is exactly what it was," he responded.

Harry looked down at the top of his head. "Alright, well, then was this too much for you?" he asked again.

Draco shook his head. "No, everything with you has been perfect. Despite the reason I was sent here, I am so grateful that I found you and have been given another chance at something with you."

"But?" Harry questioned.

Draco smiled. "But I can't help, but wonder about what is going to happen once you completely remember your old life. Are you going to go back to Britain or will you stay here? Where will that leave me? I have developed these strong feelings for you and having sex with you just now as made them stronger as I've never connected with someone in that way. I just got overwhelmed with what is going to happen in the future," he replied quietly.

Harry sighed and brought his other arm over to hold Draco closer to him. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Draco. The only thing that I am certain about right now is how I feel for you. You've done so much these past couple of days for me and I cannot wait to see where you and I go together. We will stay together no matter what happens. I've had you now and I'm not going back to life without you," he whispered.

Draco sat up and looked down at him. His heart swelled once again at Harry's declaration. He leaned forward and kissed him deeply, knowing that despite everything else that was going on, they were together and that was all that mattered.

They fell asleep some time later after snogging for several minutes. Draco had never felt so at peace and felt so wanted. His life had changed rather quickly since he had arrived in Romania, but he was happy about this change. He wanted everything that he could have with Harry, more than what he thought he did. Life was good. This life with him was good.

 **XXXX**

Draco should have known that the second he relaxed and felt good about something was the second things would change. He woke up the next morning, sunlight streaming in through the window. At first, nothing seemed amiss, but then as he stretched out his arms, he realized that the bed was empty. He sat up and looked around. Harry was not in bed with him anymore. He sighed and got out of bed. He wondered if Harry had just gotten up and was making him breakfast. He put his pants and trousers on and walked out into the sitting room. Harry was not there and as he grabbed his shirt, he didn't hear anything coming from the kitchen.

Draco frowned as he walked over to the kitchen and looked inside. Harry wasn't in there either. He walked back out and glanced over at the table. He stopped short when he saw a piece of parchment lying on the table. He walked over and picked it up. He saw Harry's writing scrawled quickly across the parchment.

 _Draco,_

 _I know this looks bad, you waking up and me not there. I assure you I am not running out on you. Last night was amazing. A night that I hope to repeat many times with you. I had a dream last night though. I remembered the night I had my memories blocked from me. I remembered who did it. I've gone back to Britain. I'm going to take care of this once and for all so I can have my life back. I want to start a life with you and I can't do that if I have this hanging over my head. I'll see you soon._

 _Harry_

Draco read the note several times. He balled it up angrily and shoved it into his pocket. He made sure he had his wand and he left Harry's flat quickly. He stormed over to the main building and found Charlie once again in his office.

He looked up in surprise at seeing Draco standing there. "Draco, I'm surprised to see you so early and in the clothes you wore yesterday…." he trailed off as he realized what had happened. He blushed and looked away.

Draco waved him off. "Harry's gone," he said in response.

Charlie jerked back around and stood up. "What?" he demanded.

"He's gone. He remembered who blocked his memories and he left to go settle this once and for all," he replied angrily.

"But how did he get out of here? We don't have any portkeys and he can't easily floo out of here," Charlie commented.

Draco shrugged. "I don't know, but he's gone and I need to go after him. How the hell do I get out of here?" he demanded.

Charlie looked around like the answer would be in front of him somewhere. He brightened and rushed past Draco and out the door. He ran out of the building. Draco followed after him and followed him all the way to the spot that Harry had taken him that first day. Charlie whistled and Draco watched as Hedwig flew up and landed on the rock. He gasped and stepped back.

"You can fly Hedwig," Charlie stated simply.

Draco jerked his head to look at him and stumbled back. "Are you mad? I can't fly a dragon!" he exclaimed, eyes wide with fear.

Charlie looked at him. "Look, it will get you to Britain faster if you fly her. Harry has been teaching her to fly with him for months! She will want to rescue him, trust me," Charlie explained.

Draco stared at the dragon that had turned her bejeweled eyes on him. He sighed. He had to get to Harry and if this was the only way…. "Alright, I'll fly her," he said.

Charlie nodded and flicked his wand. Draco watched as something that resembled a horse saddle flew to him. Hedwig looked curious about the contraption and moved closer. Charlie looked up at her and smiled. "Hedwig, Harry's in danger," he began. Hedwig turned her attention to him and Draco swore he saw not only recognition in her eyes, but worry for her preferred keeper. "Draco needs to get to him as quickly as possible. Will you let him fly with you?" he finished gesturing to Draco and the saddle like contraption.

Hedwig turned her gaze to Draco and looked at him curiously. Draco forced himself to relax and show her that he truly cared about what happened to Harry. She looked back at Charlie and moved closer. She turned slightly to show Charlie that she was agreeing to his request. Charlie smiled at her and tossed her a treat. Draco watched in awe as Charlie secured the saddle contraption to her.

"Now, this seat has enchantments to keep you in place and protect Hedwig. You will not fall off of it. You need to keep her high enough that the muggles don't really notice her, but not so high that you can't breathe. This also allows for her to seem more like a cloud or a group of birds or some other normal thing that a muggle might see. If they look too closely she will look like a dragon so keep that in mind as you're flying. Take this bag of food for her. Once you're in Britain, you need to put her somewhere she will be safe. Perhaps your manor. I imagine the grounds are big enough to accommodate her. She won't fly off. She wants to rescue Harry and she won't leave until she's done that," Charlie explained.

Draco nodded at his explanation and accepted the bag. He took a deep breath and climbed up on to the dragon. He felt himself become secured to the seat. "Okay, girl," he said uncertainly as he smoothed his hand over the scales of her neck. He reached into his bag and pulled out a chunk of meat and tossed it to her. She grabbed it out of the air and ate it. Draco smiled. "Let's go get Harry," he told her. That's all it took for her because she launched herself into the sky and they were off. Draco cried out and screamed for a bit at the fact that he was flying a dragon, but soon he calmed down and leaned forwards, enjoying the way it felt to fly a dragon. She seemed to know exactly where she was going and Draco was sure that he would make it to Britain sooner than he would by other means of travel.

 **XXXX**

Charlie ran back to his flat and rushed inside. He threw down floo powder and called out Lion's Cottage. Ron appeared shortly after. He took one look at Charlie and knew that something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked nervously.

"Harry's heading your way. Draco said that he left sometime during the night or early this morning. He wrote him a note, telling him that he remembered who did this to him and that he was going to fix it. I don't know how he's getting there nor what time he'll be there, but he's gone. Draco's coming there too," Charlie explained.

Ron's face paled as he listened to his brother explain what was happening. Part of it was because Harry was coming back, but the other part, the more distracting part related to Draco. "How would he know that Harry left during the night or early this morning and why would Harry write him a note?" he questioned.

Charlie laughed. "Out of all of that, that is what you want to focus on?" he questioned. Ron nodded. Charlie laughed again. "Draco and Harry are a couple. They've been spending gobs of time together and I think they really like each other," he replied.

Ron's eyes widened. "Like he stayed the night with him or something?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Charlie smirked at his youngest brother. "He was wearing the same clothes this morning as he was yesterday," he commented.

Ron's eyes widened even more and he looked utterly horrified by this. Charlie laughed some more. "I can't believe this. How could that have happened?" he questioned rhetorically.

Charlie shrugged. "I don't know little brother, but the point here is that Harry is coming there and I have a feeling that it is less safe than it was before he left. Get word to Hermione and let her know. I don't know how he'll find you guys, but I'm willing to bet that his first place to go will be the Ministry," Charlie replied.

Ron nodded. "Right, okay, thanks. I'll let you know what happens," he replied. Charlie nodded and then the floo connection cut.

Ron threw in more floo powder and found himself looking in Hermione's office. She was at her desk, looking over some documents. "Mione," Ron called out.

She jumped slightly and then came over to kneel in front of the fireplace. She was instantly on guard as Ron looked like he was going to be sick. "What is it?" she asked.

"Harry's coming," he replied.

Her eyes widened. "What?" she whispered.

"Charlie told me that Malfoy told him that Harry was gone and that he was coming here because he remembered who blocked his memories. Did you know that Harry and Malfoy were a couple?" he asked.

Hermione nodded absently. "I didn't know officially, but I suspected it was coming. Oh dear, this isn't good. He's going to come here first, I bet. Oh, Merlin, how did this happen? I need to go to Kingsley and let him know. Look, if Harry shows up at our house for some reason, get word to me, okay?" she stated.

Ron nodded. "Be careful," he said.

She smiled and nodded before she cut the connection and left her office. She walked briskly out of her office and went to see Kingsley. The receptionist saw her coming and stopped her. Hermione may or may not have worn out her welcome in his office.

"Ms. Granger, we've been over this. You need to have an appointment to speak with the Minister," she reminded her.

"I know, I know, but this is very important, like the most top importance that it could be," she insisted.

The receptionist stared at her and saw that she did look like she was telling the truth. "Very well, but if you are just exaggerating, you will not be allowed in there again without an appointment," she said.

Hermione nodded in agreement. The receptionist stood and knocked on the office door. Hermione heard Kingsley grunt in response. The receptionist gestured for her to go in. Hermione took a deep breath and rushed in. Kingsley looked up at her and frowned. He sat back crossing his arms.

"Ms. Granger, you need an appoint-" Kingsley was cut off when Hermione started talking.

"Harry's coming here," she stated.

Kingsley stared at her and leaned forward. "He's what?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Malfoy told Charlie and Charlie told Ron and Ron told me that Harry left sometime late last night or early this morning to come here. He remembered who cast the curse on him. Have you had any success in bringing in Edgecombe?" she asked.

Kingsley frowned and shook his head. "He's disappeared, conveniently. I don't know if he somehow got wind that we were closing in or he just sensed that something was coming. We aren't sure where he is, but we are looking into it. When will Harry get here?" Kingsley asked.

"I don't know. We have no idea how he left Romania," she replied.

"Is Mister Malfoy coming back as well?" he asked.

"I think so. Although, I'm not sure how either," she replied.

Kingsley nodded. "I'm guessing he'll be coming here?" he asked. Hermione nodded. "Okay, well, he won't come in as himself I'm sure, so…" he trailed off as he thought about what he might do.

"Do you think we should use him as bait?" Hermione asked uncertainly.

Kingsley frowned. "No, I don't want to do that. Harry being here will bring them out. We could leak into the affected departments that we suspect that he's coming and that he didn't die after all," he suggested.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I think that we should do that. They will get spooked probably and make a rash decision. I'm going to head home in case he comes there. I'll get word to you if he does," she replied.

Kingsley nodded and watched Hermione leave. He reached for his internal memo stationery and started writing out the alerts to the departments that he suspected had resistant members. He sent them on their way and walked out into the office. His receptionist looked up at him with a knowing look.

"I'm going to the atrium for a bit," he stated and he left his office, his robe billowing behind him. She frowned as she watched him leave, wondering what he was doing.


	8. Department of Mysteries

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! I would have put this up earlier this week, but I was busy working on the other story and tired most of the week lol. Anyway, here it is! As far as my fic I was telling you all about,** ** _Forever Friends_** **, I have updated six chapters and still have four more to go before I'll post the next chapter for that. Enjoy this chapter and thank you for all the reviews and follows :).**

Harry had left Romania at four in the morning. He hated leaving Draco the way he did and he hoped that he saw his note before he got too worked up thinking that he left him for other reasons than remembering who cursed him. He had grabbed his broom and flown to a portkey hub. He took a portkey to Paris and was now sitting on a train through the tunnel that went through the English Channel. It was around noon at this point. His traveling had taken a toll on him and he was glad to be using muggle transportation at the moment so he could catch his breath.

He wondered if Draco had seen his note and what his response had been. Had he been angry? Was he upset with Harry? He wasn't sure and he struggled to shake his nervousness about his response. The night before had been brilliant and he was so glad that he had waited. Every encounter he had had with someone else since he'd been at the reserve had been one-offs. Some wanted more, but Harry couldn't bring himself to. It was like he was waiting for Draco, not knowing that it was him that he was waiting for.

He shook his head and focused on what he was doing. He was risking everything coming back to Britain. He had questioned his decisions many times since he left Romania, but he stuck with it. He had to do this. He had to get this straightened out before he continued what he was doing with Draco.

He still had a half an hour until he arrived in Britain. From there, he'd have to apparate to London. He wasn't sure if he should go straight to the Ministry or try and go to Hermione and Ron's house. He sighed, choosing to see his friends first. He couldn't go into the Ministry alone.

The time passed quickly and Harry was now standing outside his best friends' house. He stared at it, his heart pounding. He so badly wanted to see them in person and hug them and never let go. He missed them so much, now that he knew they were real. Missing them had increased a lot since he had seen Hermione and talked to her via the floo. He took a deep breath and walked up to the door. He knocked and waited. There was no answer. He frowned for a moment. He shook his head and laughed. Of course, they wouldn't be home. It was the middle of the week and they had jobs. They were probably at their jobs. He turned and started back towards the gate.

Something in the sky caught his attention though and he stopped. An owl was flying towards him. He frowned as the owl closed in and then landed on a fence post nearby. Harry walked over to it and took the letter from its leg. He wondered if it was from Draco, telling him exactly how he felt about him leaving him that morning. He opened it and stared down in disbelief. His anger increased exponentially and he balled up the note and let out an angry cry.

 _Mister Potter,_

 _The Ministry requests your attendance immediately. I should say that your_ _ **friends**_ _request your attendance immediately._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Theodore Edgecombe_

He looked down at the picture that was in his hands. Hermione and Ron were tied to chairs and blindfolded. It was obvious that things had just gotten all the more serious. He growled and walked out of the garden of their home and headed towards an apparition point. He didn't get far before he heard what sounded like a drumming sound. He'd know that sound anywhere. He turned and looked up. He was blinded immediately by sunlight. He shielded his eyes and watched as a dragon came down from the sky and landed in Hermione and Ron's garden. Harry gasped as he recognized the dragon immediately.

He ran into the garden and up to Hedwig who was being fed some meat by a pale hand. Harry walked around and stared up in surprise as Draco looked down at him from his seat atop Hedwig. He jumped down, transfigured a rock into a large trough, and filled it with water. Hedwig immediately started to drink. He turned to look at Harry his gaze narrowed and his arms crossed.

Harry just stared at him in surprise. He had flown all the way from Romania on a dragon to come to him. He couldn't help, but ignore the glare and leap at him, throwing his arms around him, and kissing him passionately. Draco staggered under his weight, but kissed him back, relief flooding him.

Harry stepped back and looked up at him. He didn't let him go, but he knew that Draco would want to say something. "You're here," Harry whispered.

"Yes, I am and you're an idiot. What were you thinking, Potter? You understand that it's not safe for you here, right? Why would you leave? Do you know how much it took for me to fly Hedwig all the way here? You're mad, you know that?" he ranted.

Harry just smiled at him and nodded as he ranted at him. Draco glared at him although it wasn't very angry. "I'm sorry. I wanted to turn around several times, but I have to settle this and even more so now that I got this," he said as he thrust the picture at Draco and opened the note back up, handing it to him. Draco looked down at them both and his gaze narrowed to a more dangerous look.

"That's the guy who sent me to find you," he commented. He shook his head and handed the picture and note back. "If we're going there, you're going in under glamour, okay?" he said in a way that suggested Harry didn't have a choice.

"Alright, I'll agree to that. Let's go," Harry stated as he started walking away.

"Harry, wait," Draco called out. Hedwig growled and Harry realized what he was stopping him from. He walked over to Hedwig and reached out to her. She turned her head slightly as if to show him that she was upset with him. He laughed and reached into Draco's bag for some meat. She turned her head upwards for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Hedwig. I know I made a rash decision, but I had to. Thank you for bringing Draco here safely. I am grateful for you," he whispered to her. She turned to look down at him and butted his shoulder. She appeared to have forgiven him as she took the meat from him and allowed him to pet her. After awhile, she was satisfied and allowed Harry to step away from her.

"Do we leave her here? Charlie mentioned I should leave her at the Manor, but we are here now. Do you think she'll be safe?" Draco asked worriedly.

Harry grinned. "I'll cast some protection spells, but she'll be fine here. She has food and water. She won't leave the area without us."

Draco nodded and looked at Hedwig. She looked at him as well and he bowed slightly and she leaned forward and butted her head against his shoulder. Draco laughed and touched her neck gently. It appeared that he had made a friend in Hedwig. Harry grinned as he watched the two.

"Alright, let's go," Harry said. He walked towards the gate after saying good-bye to Hedwig and waited until Draco was out of the garden before he cast several charms and enchantments on the area. He put a dome over the property and then nodded. Draco and Harry set out for the Ministry then.

 **XXXX**

Harry and Draco arrived at the Ministry about fifteen minutes later. They were in an alley nearby. Draco cast glamour charms on Harry. He didn't look like himself anymore. Draco sighed at the loss. Harry lifted his brow at him.

"Problem?" he asked.

"Yes. I don't like looking at you this way," he replied petulantly.

Harry laughed and rolled his eyes. "It's not permanent," he responded.

Draco shrugged and stepped out of the alley, Harry following behind him. They walked into the phone booth and found themselves being lowered into the atrium. They walked out into the atrium and headed for the security desk. Draco was surprised to see Kingsley near the desk looking around. He looked calm and collected, but they could both see the nervousness in his eyes. He zeroed in on Draco and knew that Harry was with him. He kept his emotions in check and walked over to them.

"Mister Malfoy," he addressed as he walked up to him. The security guard was looking over at them in confusion.

"Minister Shacklebolt," Draco greeted.

"Ernie, I've got it from here. They are coming with me," he told the security guard. The guard nodded uncertainly, but allowed them to go.

Kingsley strode over to the lifts, Draco and Harry at his heels. Once inside, Kingsley turned to look at Harry fondly. "Harry, is it you?" he asked uncertainly.

The man next to Draco's eyes swam with unshed tears and nodded. Kingsley smiled and pulled him into a fierce hug which Harry returned. "It's good to see you, Kingsley," Harry said in a tearful voice. Draco stepped back, feeling as if he was imposing on something private.

They parted after a few more moments. "Hermione thought that you would come here," Kingsley stated after clearing his throat.

"Yes, well, I received a note with a picture earlier and that brought me here much faster," he replied in an angry tone. He handed Kingsley the note and picture. Kingsley looked them over and glared at them.

"So Theodore is no longer in hiding I see," he commented almost to himself.

"What department does he work in?" Draco asked.

"Department of Mysteries," he replied.

Draco nodded. "That makes sense. He found out about Harry from Greg Goyle," he explained.

Kingsley looked at him. "He's a dragon animagi, correct?" he asked. Draco nodded. "Yes, I had been told that they took him to the dragon reserve in Romania. Of course, I can't believe this was all happening under my nose," he stated angrily.

"Hermione made it seem like you've been investigating this for awhile," Harry stated.

Kingsley nodded. "We've been investigating this for two years. We didn't catch a break until you though," he said gesturing towards Draco.

"Me? Why me?" he asked.

"Theodore reached out to you thus revealing him as the source of all this resistance. We couldn't narrow down who it was until you told Hermione that he was the one who sent you to Romania. He must have thought that you would turn Harry in to him without batting an eyelash," Kingsley explained.

Draco narrowed his gaze. "Well, he's going to be very disappointed to find out that I never had any intention of turning Harry over to him. The audacity that he would even think that I would do that in the first place!" he exclaimed angrily.

Kingsley and Harry laughed. Harry reached over and squeezed his hand in assurance. Kingsley noted the exchange and the way that Draco's face softened at the touch. "He probably figured that out since he decided to draw Harry out by taking Hermione and Ron," Kingsley stated as he gestured to the picture and note.

The lift dinged and they found themselves on the level where Kingsley's office was. They followed him into his office. The receptionist looked at them in confusion. "Sit, sit. Now where do you think he might have taken them?" Kingsley said as he gestured to the seats. He paced around for a few moments as he thought.

"Hermione and Ron found me by using a locator potion. Maybe we could use that to find them," Harry suggested.

Kingsley nodded and walked over to a panel on his wall. He waved his wand at it and it popped open revealing shelves full of potions. Harry and Draco both lifted their brows in surprise. Kingsley found the potion and took it down. He handed it to Harry. He uncorked it and drank it quickly.

"Wait, don't you need hair or something like that?" Draco asked in confusion. He knew potions like the back of his hand and he knew locator potions needed something from the person you were looking for.

"Not for this one. This one uses your memories and the spoken name of the person you're looking for. It only works if you have close ties to the person you're looking for," Kingsley explained.

Draco frowned thoughtfully, wondering why he didn't know about this one. "A secret?" he asked.

Kingsley nodded. "Now, state the name of who you're looking for and it will lead you to them," he explained.

"Hermione Granger," Harry stated. He felt a tug on his navel, so strong that it nearly overwhelmed him. "She must be close. This pull is very strong," he stated in a strained voice.

Kingsley and Draco nodded. They followed Harry out of Kingsley's office and ended up in the lifts again. Harry pressed the button for level nine. Kingsley and Draco exchanged glances. They made sure their wands were in hand and Harry already had his in hand. The lift doors opened and they were on the Department of Mysteries level. Harry stepped out slowly, looking around. There wasn't much, other than the one door.

Kingsley flicked his wand and muttered something to his patronus. It disappeared. "We'll have back-up in a few minutes, trusted back-up," Kingsley muttered.

Harry nodded and stepped in further. He flicked his wand at himself, canceling the glamour that was on him. He looked over at Draco who stared back, mouth hanging open for just a moment. Harry smirked at him and turned back to the door. The lift sounded a few minutes later and three more people stepped off. All aurors and all those that had worked closely with Kingsley.

"We've got two hostages somewhere in here. We have a locator potion in use," Kingsley explained.

They nodded and then their eyes fell on both Draco and Harry. They looked up at Kingsley in confusion. "Um, Malfoy?" Dawlish asked in confusion.

"Yes," Kingsley replied. Dawlish looked past Draco and his eyes settled on Harry. They widened and he stepped forward .

"Potter?" he asked in disbelief. Harry smiled at the old auror.

"Hullo, Dawlish," he greeted, his hand outstretched.

The other two aurors were frozen in place as they looked at Harry. "But, but, you're dead. Been dead for three years," he stuttered in disbelief.

Harry smiled. "I was merely playing dragon keeper for the past three years with no memory of my actual life," he replied nonchalantly.

"Excuse me?" Dawlish asked.

"My partner cursed me," Harry replied.

Draco turned to look at him with wide eyes. The other three aurors looked the same and Kingsley looked livid. "O'Malley?" Dawlish asked in disbelief.

Harry nodded. The other three looked at each other in confusion and surprise. "I never would have thought that he'd turn on you," one of the other aurors said.

Harry shrugged. "Right now, what matters is that my best friends are somewhere in here and this will surely blow the top off this resistance. Let's go," he stated as he started for the door, wand at the ready.

The others fanned out behind him. Draco was at his right, Kingsley at his left. The other three brought up the rear. Harry opened the door and they all stepped through. The spinning room was around them and it spun. The pull was tugging on Harry and once the spinning stopped, he headed for a door to his right. The door held the strongest pull. He opened it, raising his wand. He stepped in. The room was dark, but behind him light came from the others wands as they stepped into the room.

A light, separate from the wands shone down from the ceiling. It put a spotlight on the center of the room where two people sat, back to back in chairs. They were blind folded, gagged, and tied up. Harry stepped forward, but met a barrier.

"Mister Malfoy, you've done well," someone said to the left of them. Harry turned his wand in that direction, but Draco kept his wand the other way.

"You were mistaken in thinking that I would bring him back here without question," Draco replied.

The man chuckled. "He's here whether you brought him or not. You are the catalyst to all of this," the man replied. His voice was now at their right. Harry knew what they were trying to do and it seemed that the rest of them did as well because they had wands pointing in all directions.

"You know, Edgecombe, I feel like you're just wasting my time right now. You've wasted three years of my life by your idiocy. Stop playing games and face me. I'm done waiting," Harry called out.

The room brightened quickly, blinding them all for just a moment. The barrier dropped at the same time as the room brightening. Harry turned his head slightly, used to brightness like this from dragon flames. He cast a quick shield charm around them, expecting the curse that flew their way. He sent one of his own in response and hit his target. Someone groaned as they hit the wall nearby.

Harry focused and saw that there were a dozen people in the room. He found the man that he knew to be Edgecombe and then he found his partner. He was looking back with wide eyes. "Didn't believe I was alive?" Harry taunted. His shield was strong in front of them and his comrades had recovered from the brightness of the light.

"I didn't want to believe it. It was easier to think of you as dead and not able to come back and curse me in return," O'Malley whispered.

"You took three years away from me O'Malley, a curse is the least of your worries," Harry stated simply.

"Theodore Edgecombe, you are under arrest for violating your commitment to the ministry, attempted murder, and kidnapping. Drop your wand and come with us. The rest of you are under arrest for aiding in his endeavor. Let's end this peacefully," Kingsley stated.

"Not a chance," Edgecombe said. Harry cast a quick shield charm around his defenseless friends as spells started volleying around them. Draco was crouched down, flinging spells at three different people dueling with ease. Kingsley had his own three and the other aurors were battling the rest. Harry crouched down and moved quickly to his friends. He slid into the shield, putting it back up quickly.

"Hey guys," he said as he started removing their blindfolds and gags. He went to work on their ropes while they both spluttered out responses.

"Harry! Oh, it's so good to see you!" Hermione exclaimed, moving in her seat to see him better.

Harry laughed. "If you both keep moving, I'm not going to be able to get you undone," he stated.

"Mate! Holy smokes! I forgot what you sounded like! Where are your glasses? How can you see?" Ron exclaimed.

Harry got Hermione undone just as he heard someone cry out behind him. He turned and saw Draco on the ground, curled up in a ball, clutching at his chest. "Go to him. I'll get Ron," Hermione said as she got down from the seat. Harry cut the shield and slipped out putting it back up as soon as he was out. He shot a spell at the person who hurt Draco. He noticed that the same thing was happening as when he had been cursed before. The five that had been with him were being overpowered easily just like when his memories were blocked. He wasn't going to let this happen again.

It wasn't necessarily the brightest idea in hindsight, but he did it anyway. He stood up, waving his wand around, and cast a spell that they used on the dragons to get them to calm down. He focused it on all the people that were fighting against them. They flew back into the walls, knocked out completely. Harry stood there, panting. He had never done such a spell alone. He collapsed to his knees next to Draco. He turned and his eyes met bright silver eyes that looked awed by what he had just done. Harry smiled at him.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked him in a strained voice.

Draco nodded. "Just took quite the stunner to my chest. I imagine I'll have a bruise there for awhile. Are you alright?"

Harry nodded. "I can't move. I feel boneless, but other than that, I'm fine." He looked around as Kingsley and the other aurors bound up the people they had been fighting. His eyes settled on his friends who were staring at him in disbelief. He couldn't stand up, but he smiled weakly over at them. Draco was sitting up now and he slid up against Harry in support. Harry glanced back and smiled at him.

Hermione and Ron walked over. Hermione was the first to kneel down in front of Harry and wrap him up in a hug, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hugged him tightly and looked up at Draco gratefully. He smiled uncomfortably, surprised by her gratefulness. She knelt back and allowed Ron to give his best mate a manly hug. He hugged him tighter than he normally would, but at least he wasn't crying, openly anyway.

He knelt back and Hermione was there again, hugging him tightly. Harry laughed and hugged her back. "I'm happy to see you guys too," he whispered.

"Harry, let's get you out of here. We'll have the auror medics look you all over," Kingsley stated. Harry nodded and attempted to stand. He couldn't. He sighed. Draco and Ron both looped an arm around him to help him up. Draco wavered slightly as the pain in his chest intensified. He took several deep breaths and the pain subsided. He nodded and they started walking towards the door.

It seemed to take forever for them to make it to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Everyone was put into one room and were sitting on comfortable beds. Harry's eyes were closed. Draco was lying on his side facing him, staring at him in such a way that Hermione and Ron could easily tell how he felt about him.

"Thank you, Malfoy, for giving his memories back to him," Hermione said quietly.

Draco looked over at her. "I didn't do much other than be there. He did all the hard work," he replied.

She smiled and nodded. The door opened and four medics came in. They started checking over each of them. Harry was given a few replenishing potions and Draco was given a pain potion for his chest. There was nothing pressing that required a St. Mungo's visit and both Harry and Draco were feeling better already.

They were given the green light to go home, but were told to wait until Kingsley had spoken with them. He came in a few minutes later and smiled at them. "Well, we have apprehended about a dozen more people and all will be tried for many crimes. We are finally in the home stretch with this case. Harry, I am so glad that you are alive. If you want to come back, you're more than welcome. I think you'll find much less resistance now," Kingsley said to him.

Harry smiled. "Thanks, Kingsley. I'm not prepared to make any decisions at this point. All I want to do right now is catch up with my friends and spend time with my love," Harry stated tiredly.

Draco's eyes widened as he turned to look over at him in surprise. Hermione and Ron had similar expressions. Harry didn't seem to realize what he had said. "Um, alright, well, you go do that then. Take care, Harry. I hope to see you again soon," Kingsley said. He walked over to Harry and gave him a hug. Harry hugged him back. Kingsley stepped back, wiped at his eyes, and then left the room.

Harry sat up and ran his hand through his hair before he stood up carefully. "Ready?" he asked the other three. They were still looking at him in disbelief. "What?"

"Uh, nothing, mate. Let's go," Ron said. He stood and helped Hermione up. Harry turned and looked at Draco who was still staring at him with a confused look. Harry reached out and Draco managed to step forward and take his hand. They walked out of the room and headed to the lifts to leave the Ministry. They made it back to the atrium and flooed to Hermione and Ron's house.


	9. I Have To

**A/N: Eesh... a lot going on in this chapter. There is some Drarry time though so be prepared for that. Kind of an emotional chapter as well. You've been warned :) Thank you for all your reviews and follows! Enjoy!**

"Harry, our guest room is down the hall and on the right. There is a bathroom attached as well. Why don't you go rest up and we'll make dinner?" Hermione suggested.

Harry didn't have to be told twice. He went to the guest room and collapsed on the bed. Draco followed him in there and closed the door behind them. "Harry, are you alright?" he asked as he approached the bed.

"Come here," he directed. Draco walked over and lay down next to him. He was on his side facing him. Harry turned to look at him and frowned. "When I heard you cry out, I was so worried that you were seriously hurt. I don't like feeling that way," Harry told him.

"Well, I wasn't hurt, seriously anyway. I don't make it my business to put myself in dangerous situations," Draco replied.

Harry nodded and reached out to take his hand. "I know. It's been a long time since I've reacted that way to someone," he commented.

"You called me love," Draco stated.

Harry's brow lifted and he looked at him in confusion. He thought back to earlier and he remembered what he had said to Kingsley. "I did call you that," he replied.

"So what does that mean?" he asked.

"It means that I am falling in love with you," he replied simply.

"But we have barely started this. How could you feel that way already?" Draco asked in confusion. Harry shrugged. He sat up and leaned forward to kiss Draco. Draco responded easily and allowed Harry to settle over him and kiss him deeply. They snogged for several minutes, Draco nearly forgetting what he asked.

Finally, Draco pushed against Harry's chest. He wanted an answer. "I just do. I don't expect you to feel the same. I just want you to know what I'm feeling in here," Harry stated pointing to his heart.

"I do like you, a lot, but I don't think I've fallen in love with you," he replied.

Harry nodded. He kissed him lightly. "That's fine. Listen, let's go have dinner and spend some time hanging out. We can finally relax," Harry said as he slid off the bed and started for the door.

"That's it? You're not upset that our feelings aren't on the same level?" Draco questioned.

Harry shrugged. "I'm irresistible. You'll change your mind soon enough," he teased. Harry winked at him and walked out of the bedroom. He was teasing on the outside, but he was definitely nervous on the inside. He had a big decision to make. He could either stay here and go back to his old life or return to the dragon reserve. He also wasn't sure how Draco would factor into that. He didn't feel the same for him as he did and that bothered him more than he was showing Draco, but he had to accept that he wouldn't necessarily feel as strongly as he did.

Harry walked into the kitchen at about the time that Ron looked outside into his back garden. He cried out and staggered back. Harry looked out the window, wand drawn. He didn't keep it out long as he saw what Ron was freaking out about. Hermione looked out the window then and screamed, dropping the glass that was in her hand. Harry laughed and repaired the glass.

"There, there, there, i dragon out there!" Ron whimpered pointing a shaking finger at the window.

Harry laughed. "Yes, that's Hedwig," he replied.

Ron looked at him with wide eyes. "Hedwig was an owl, not a freaking dragon!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry continued to laugh. "Okay, so she's Hedwig number two. She's my dragon," Harry explained.

"I'm sorry, but why is there a dragon in my back garden?" Hermione asked, finding her voice.

"I flew her here to get to Harry," Draco explained as he came into the kitchen.

Ron and Hermione looked over at him with wide eyes. They both remembered riding the dragon out of Gringotts and they weren't ready to repeat that ever again. "Is she tame?" Hermione asked in a shaky voice.

"No, not at all," Harry replied. Her eyes widened further and Ron paled, looking like he was going to pass out pretty quick. "She listens to me so she won't hurt you. Plus, I put enchantments on your garden. You and anyone else who might happen by are perfectly safe," Harry explained.

They both nodded and stood up shakily. Harry met Draco's eyes with merriment and Draco smiled back, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. Harry looked away worrying once again about what would happen for them.

 **XXXX**

Harry and Draco spent an enjoyable evening with Hermione and Ron. If anyone had told Draco that he would one day enjoy spending this kind of time with the Golden Trio, he would have had them committed to the Janis Thickey ward at St. Mungo's. Harry and Draco retired to bed sometime later. Harry undressed without any shyness and walked into the shower. Draco had stared at him, admiring every curve of his body. He wanted Harry so much and yet he was holding back for some reason.

The shower turned on and Draco found himself standing and walking towards the bathroom. He pushed the door open and walked in. He could see Harry through the glass. He didn't want to hold back right now. He wanted to give in just one more time. He could address his apprehension later. Right now, all he wanted was Harry.

Draco undressed quickly and stepped into the shower. Harry turned and looked at him, smiling broadly as he watched him close the door. He looked him up and down slowly. Draco blushed under his perusal. Draco reached for the shampoo and squirted some in his hand. He rubbed his hands together and gestured for Harry to turn around. Harry turned his back to him and Draco paused to look at his back and arse. It was nearly too much. He bit the inside of his cheek and refocused on Harry's hair. He reached up and started moving his fingers through his hair, moving gently, washing and massaging. Harry felt boneless under his touch. Draco stopped and pulled Harry under the showerhead as he ran his fingers through his hair, washing out the shampoo.

Once that was done, he reached for the body wash and went about washing Harry slowly and sensually. He focused on every part of his body, saving his quickly growing erection for the end. Harry was moaning by the time Draco wrapped his hand around Harry's cock. Harry's head tipped forward against his shoulder. Draco didn't waste any time making Harry writhe beneath his touch and soon Harry was coming in hot spurts across Draco's hand.

Draco didn't even need any help. Listening to Harry was enough for Draco to come on his own. He panted for several moments, holding on to Harry so he wouldn't fall over. Harry was sounding very similar to him. After some time, Harry washed Draco's hair and body and then they left the shower. They weren't speaking, only smiling slightly at each other. They climbed into bed together and pulled the blankets up. The lights turned off and there was still silence.

"Harry, what are you going to do?" Draco asked.

"I don't know. I feel like my old life isn't me anymore. I'd love to be close to my friends again, but I don't know if I can leave Hedwig behind. She's attached to me. I mean, you saw how she was today. If I don't go back with her, I feel like I'm only hurting her. My life was simple as a dragon keeper, well; at least simple in the sense that I knew exactly what was demanded of me every single day. Then there's you. You have a life, a business here, I can't take you away from that, but I also don't want to be apart from you. So my answer is, I don't know," he replied.

Draco sighed. "Well, it is a tough choice for sure. Don't factor me in to your decision though," he requested.

Harry sat up and looked over at him. "What? Why?" he demanded.

Draco sat up as well and reached out to touch Harry's leg. "Not because I don't want to be with you. I don't want you to factor me in because I don't want to be a reason for you to stay so that someday, down the road, you resent me for keeping you here when you'd rather be at the reserve. Whatever decision you make, has to be your own and made for you. I want to be with you. I want to see where this goes. I want to have the opportunity to fall in love with you, but I don't want to hold you back," he explained.

Harry hung his head and nodded. "Alright. That's going to be difficult, but I'll try," he replied quietly.

Draco nodded and lay back down. Harry lay back down as well, curling his body around Draco. Draco kissed the top of his head and held him close. It didn't take them long to drift off to sleep. Harry hoped that his dreams would give him some guidance. He had no idea what he wanted to do.

 **XXXX**

Draco woke up the next morning. He felt cooler than he thought he would and realized that he was alone in bed. He stretched and sat up. He cast a tempus charm and noted that it was eight in the morning. He slid out of bed and pulled on his pants and shirt. He wrinkled his nose as he remembered that he had now been wearing the same clothes for three days. He shook his head, vowing to change the second that he could.

He walked out into the sitting room, but didn't see anyone. He walked into the kitchen and he saw Hermione sitting at the table reading the Prophet and drinking tea. "Good morning," he said to her.

She startled slightly and looked up. "Good morning," she replied politely.

Draco poured himself some tea and helped himself to some porridge. He sat down at the table and looked outside. "Where's Harry?" he asked nervously.

Hermione glanced over at the window. "He's outside with Hedwig. He's been out there since I got up at six. Ron is still sleeping," she replied.

Draco sighed in relief. She didn't miss that reaction. "Good. I thought he might have left or something," he said.

Hermione studied him. "He's fallen in love with you, hasn't he?" she asked. Draco blushed and nodded. She frowned slightly. "But you're not there yet?" she asked. He shook his head. She nodded and looked back out the window with a thoughtful expression.

"Should I already be in love with him?" Draco asked in confusion.

Hermione laughed and shrugged. "People fall in love at different times and in different ways. Harry has always held his heart on his sleeve and he falls for people easily and with devotion. However, you are the first one that he has been this intimate with, well, at least that I know of anyway, and that says a lot about how he truly feels. I believe he is truly falling for you. Why do you question your feelings?"

Draco rubbed his face roughly and sighed. "Feelings are not easy for me. You know my parents. You can imagine what it was like growing up with them. But I've always been attracted to Harry in some form or another. Lately, it's been in a more intimate way. I like spending time with him. I like that I've been given another chance to prove that I'm a better person than I used to be. I really don't want him to go back to Romania because I know that I could fall in love with him. Thinking about him leaving again scares me. I just don't know if I'm at his level yet," he replied.

Hermione nodded thoughtfully. "Then I guess you'll just have to play the waiting game," she responded.

Draco frowned and looked out the window. He could see Harry talking to Hedwig and petting her. His heart hurt.

 **XXXX**

"Hedwig, I just don't know if I can take you back to the dragon reserve and leave you there and come back here. I wish that I could have both. I wish that you could stay here with me and I could do what I did before. I know that's not possible, but I wish it were. If I leave, I'm afraid that Draco and I won't work. He'll be all the way here and it's not like he can easily commute from here to there. He's not going to want to commute all the time anyway. I just don't know, Hedwig," Harry said as he brushed his fingers along the scales on her neck.

Hedwig placed her head on his shoulder and breathed out some smoke. Harry laughed. He could only surmise that sound to a sigh. "You're no help," he said with a laugh.

Hedwig moved away from him and lay down. Harry sighed and stood up. He began to walk around the garden as he thought about his options. Being an auror was dangerous, clearly. He believed that if he did come back and the world knew that he was alive and well, things would only get horrible again. It had been about five years since the war ended and it took at least one year for people to let him walk down the street in relative peace. The three years that he had been at the dragon reserve had been bliss despite the fact that he didn't remember that he was a celebrity. Plus, as an auror, he wasn't sure he was ever going to be able to trust another partner. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to take on reforming the Ministry. He felt like he had done enough and now it was time for others to step in. With the resisters out of the way, it should be much easier for people like Kingsley and Hermione to reform the Ministry. He'd done his time. Now it was time for someone else.

Of course, being a dragon keeper was also dangerous. Dragons weren't always predictable, but he loved working with them and learning more and more about them. Plus, there was Hedwig. Just like Hedwig the owl, she was his one true friend on the reserve. Charlie was a friend, sure, but he was more of a boss or family or something like that than a friend. He knew that Hedwig would have a hard time if he left the reserve. She wouldn't understand and he was the only one there that she trusted and allowed to be anywhere near her. Charlie was a close second though, but Harry didn't think that would be enough. He liked the simple life there. He did his dragon keeper duties and then he relaxed. No one bothered him because he was the great defeater of Voldemort. They treated him like any other person. Of course, the enchantments helped with that, but still, he preferred it that way.

Harry stopped and looked into the window of the kitchen. He saw Draco sitting at the table sipping his tea and looking at the Prophet that Hermione was finished with. He watched him for several moments as he thought about how he factored into all of this. Draco didn't want him to factor him in, but he had to think about him. If he stayed, they could continue on and date and be together every day and every night if they wanted. If he left, they'd have to do long distance and that was always difficult. That, of course, would depend on if he even wanted to continue dating him. They were also not on the same page with their feelings. Maybe Harry had fallen for him too quickly, but he felt deep within him that Draco was right for him. Draco was the missing piece in his life even with his memories back he could feel it. Draco completed him in a way that no one else could. His life was given new meaning when he rediscovered Draco. He was in love with him and he'd do anything for him. He'd respect his wishes to not stay together if that's what Draco wanted even though it would break his heart.

He stopped and looked over at Hedwig again. She looked sad. She probably missed her home, but Harry felt that she was also stressing about what Harry was going to decide to do. He sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair. He knew what he was going to do.

He walked back into Hermione and Ron's house and stood in the kitchen. Ron was shoveling his breakfast into his mouth while Hermione and Draco chatted quietly about something in the Prophet. Harry missed his friends deeply and he was so glad that he remembered them.

As if Draco sensed him, he turned from Hermione and looked over at Harry. He sat up straighter and frowned. His heart started pounding and his stomach turned with anxiety. Harry had made his decision. He could see it easily on his face. Hermione looked over and saw the look in his eyes as well. Her bottom lip quivered and tears built in her eyes.

"You've made your decision," she whispered.

Harry nodded. "I'm going back to the dragon reserve," he replied.

Draco's heart stopped. His stomach fell to his feet and his porridge was coming back up. He hadn't wanted Harry to factor him in, but he was lying to himself. He wanted Harry to choose him. He wanted him to choose to stay here so they could be together. He stood up with more force than he meant to and his chair fell back with a loud thump. Harry turned to look at him. He gave him an apologetic look and watched him walk out of the kitchen sadly. Draco wouldn't even look at him.

He hung his head and shook it. "I'm sorry. I know it's selfish of me, but these past three years have shown me that I prefer the simple life. On the reserve, I'm just Harry Potter, regular guy. No one knows me as the savior of the Wizarding world. I know that it's the enchantments, but besides that, I've enjoyed the peace. I did my part here. I don't want to be relied on to do more and fix everything and I'm afraid that if I stayed that is exactly what would happen. I'm so sorry. I know this is probably breaking your hearts, but I just can't stay here," Harry explained.

Hermione stood up and walked over to him. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I understand what you're saying. As hard as it is for me to let you go, I will. I know that now we can visit you whenever we want. We'll have to travel by portkey, but that doesn't matter. You deserve peace, Harry. You've earned it," she assured him.

Ron walked over as well and patted him on the back. "I get it mate. We are here for you whether it's here or there. We're just glad that you remember us and that we can actually talk to you and see you again. It's been a hard three years," he told him.

Hermione nodded and then hugged him tightly. "We love you, Harry. We've got things from here," she said.

Harry smiled and hugged her tightly back. He turned and hugged Ron as well. "Thank you. You guys are the best. I should probably go talk to Draco," he said nervously.

They both nodded and watched as Harry walked out of the kitchen. He walked down the hallway and saw that the guest bedroom door was open. He peeked in and saw Draco sitting on the bed with his face in his hands. He sighed and walked in. "Draco?" he asked.

Draco lifted his head and looked at Harry. His eyes looked a bit watery, but he also looked angry. "So you're going back then. Where the hell does that leave us?" he demanded.

Harry sighed. He shut the door behind him and silenced it. He walked towards Draco, but stopped short of getting too close. "We can still be together. We can do long distance. Some of the keepers do that. You could portkey in a couple of times a month," he suggested.

Draco stood up and glared at him. "Long distance relationships don't work. I can't believe you didn't consider me in your decision," he replied petulantly.

Harry glared at him. "You told me not to! You said that I shouldn't factor you in to my decision! I've got news for you, Malfoy, I did think about you and my decision. I thought about you a lot and what it would mean for us. I thought about how my life would be here and I love the idea of being able to be with you every day and every night if I want, but then I thought of what else I'd be dealing with just to be with you here. I'd have to deal with being an auror, being expected to fix our world again, being a celebrity all over again, learning to trust a new partner, and dealing with the stress of a dangerous job. I can't do that again. I like the peace that being at the dragon reserve brings me. I just can't come back to my old life." He hung his head again and crossed his arms. He had felt his eyes becoming teary and he didn't want to cry right now.

Draco looked at him, realizing that Harry was right. He would have so much more to deal with if he stayed here. He'd be selfish to make him stay because of how he felt about him. "I understand, Harry. Maybe we could make it work. I'm sorry that I'm being this way about it. I don't want to be without you. These past couple of days have shown me exactly what I've been missing in my life. When I saw you that first day, alive and well, my whole world opened up again. All the doors and windows that I had closed in relation to you flew open and a summer breeze rushed in. I want to be selfish and make you stay here, but I won't and I can't do that to you. We can make this work somehow," Draco said.

He stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around Harry's waist. Harry wrapped himself around him and they held on to each other with much strength. "You could come with me," Harry whispered.

Draco startled and stepped back. "What?"

Harry gulped and blushed slightly. "You could come with me. You could live with me in my flat. We could work together and be together there," he elaborated.

"But I have my life here and my job. I can't just get up and leave," he replied.

Harry sighed and nodded. "Right, of course. That would also be selfish of me to ask you to live with me."

Draco stepped forward again and hugged Harry tightly. Living together? The idea seemed preposterous. It was too soon! How could he possibly pick up the life he had here and move there to be with him? He had his mother who was living in France. He had his business which he was only called in on things a couple of times a month. He couldn't just leave.

"Let's just take this one step at a time, okay? When are you planning to leave?" Draco asked.

Harry sighed and nodded. His heart was breaking. He thought that Draco might consider moving there. He was wrong though. "Um, probably this afternoon. I'm going to make sure that Hedwig is fed and that I'm rested and then I am going to leave. She needs to get back there and be in her own place."

Draco's eyes widened. He thought for sure that he'd stay a couple of more days to spend time with his friends. "This afternoon? Why so soon?" he questioned.

"I just told you. I need to get Hedwig back. Plus, I'm going back without you. I don't want to drag that out," he explained.

"Harry, I-" Draco didn't know what to say. They had agreed to make it work, but right now it seemed like they were calling it off.

Harry just shook his head. "Excuse me," he stated before he turned and left the room. Draco reached out to him, but met only air. He hung his head and growled angrily. This was not how he imagined this would go. He didn't like the way it was going at all, but he felt powerless to stop it.

 **XXXX**

That afternoon, Harry was making the bed in the guest room after he had spent time resting. Draco stayed with him, but they didn't speak. It seemed that neither of them knew what to say to one another. Maybe there wasn't anything left to be said?

Harry walked out of the guest room and met Hermione and Ron in the kitchen. Draco was trailing behind him, stomach in knots. "Well, I'm heading off. We'll have to plan on visiting soon. Maybe you guys could come visit next month or I'll come here for a few days." He hugged them both as they nodded. Hermione was crying silently again and Ron looked pretty down about Harry leaving. He smiled at them and hugged them a bit tighter.

"Floo when you get there," Hermione said in a teary voice.

Harry grinned and nodded. He was forcing himself to keep his emotions in check. He didn't want to look at Draco because he knew that one look at him would shatter his resistance. He waved good-bye to them both and then walked outside. He had packed some more meat for Hedwig and a couple of sandwiches for himself.

Draco followed him outside and they both stopped next to Hedwig. Draco's mind was racing. It seemed like everything that he had dreamed of was going to be flying away on a dragon in just a few minutes. How could he let him go? Why was he so scared to follow him?

"I'll floo you when I get there. I hope you'll come visit soon. Take care of yourself," Harry said to him. His back was still to him.

"Right, yeah, please let me know that you got there. I'll definitely come visit. I'll have to get my stuff from that inn anyway," he said with an uncomfortable laugh.

Harry laughed slightly and nodded. He turned then and looked up to meet Draco's eyes. Draco stumbled back in surprise at the weight of Harry's gaze. "I'll miss you," he said quietly.

He stepped towards Draco who was now frozen in place by Harry's gaze. Harry leaned up and kissed Draco lightly on the lips. Draco's eyes slid closed and he reached out to touch any part of Harry that he could. His fingers grazed Harry's stomach. Harry sighed from his touch and stepped back. "See you," he said before he walked back to Hedwig and reached up to grip the seat. He took a deep breath and was about to climb up when Draco called out.

"Harry! Wait!" he exclaimed.

Harry stopped and turned to look at him. Draco took three long steps forward and wrapped his arms around Harry, pulling him against him, kissing him passionately. Harry melted from his kiss. Draco broke away and looked down at Harry with pleading eyes. "Please don't go," he whispered.

Harry sighed and smiled at him. "I have to," he whispered back. He kissed Draco once more and then turned out of his grasp. He climbed up onto Hedwig's back and settled in. He looked down at Draco and smiled. "It might be too soon to say it, but I'm going to anyway. I love you," he stated quietly. Draco stepped back slightly, eyes wide. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to form a response. Harry just smiled and looked away. He nudged Hedwig and she started flapping her wings. Draco stumbled back as the wind from her wings overpowered him. He watched with a breaking heart as Harry lifted off the ground and flew higher and higher into the sky. Draco watched long after he was gone.


	10. Close It Down

**A/N: Here is the last chapter for this story! I hope you all enjoy it and thank you for reading this story and following, favoriting it, and reviewing. I really appreciate it :)**

Harry arrived back in Romania at ten o'clock that night. He was bone tired and he knew that Hedwig felt the same, but after he settled her in her area, she appeared to be much happier. Despite flying hundreds of miles, she flew around for a bit, dove into the pond, and ate the fish that she caught. Harry smiled as he watched her. Harry walked over to his hammock and cast a protective bubble around himself. He stared up into the trees, seeing some of the moon filtering through. He felt mostly at peace, but he knew it was going to be a long time before he felt completely at peace. He felt as if part of him was missing again. He didn't have to think long about what that part was. He knew.

 **XXXX**

Draco had spent the first couple of days after Harry left confined to his bed. He was so depressed about him leaving that he felt no gumption to get up and do anything. Their conversation had been brief the night he returned to Romania. At least he knew that he was safe there.

Draco had received an owl from Hermione informing him that Goyle had been brought back to Britain and would no longer be a threat to Harry. The resisters were in jail with no hopes of getting out anytime soon. That was all wrapped up nicely and the Prophet had been reporting everything there was to be known about the resisters and what was happening in the Ministry. Harry's name was kept out of it. That must have been Kingsley and Hermione's doing.

By day five of Harry being gone, Draco had left his bedroom, but refused to leave his house. There had been a few possible cases buried in the Prophet, but he just couldn't bring himself to help.

He had been so wrong in believing that he didn't have stronger feelings for Harry. The man had made a brief appearance in his life and they had shared so much and it had turned his life completely upside down. Everything he had always wanted was right there in front of him and he screwed it up. He had always wanted a friendship with Harry and he had it. He had always wanted to be with someone that he felt he could spend the rest of his life with them. He had that with Harry. He had always wanted a best friend. He could have had that with Harry. He had screwed it all up.

By day ten, Draco was downright aching inside. This was so much worse than when he thought Harry had died. Every dream he ever had was sitting in Romania being a dragon keeper. Harry had offered his heart and his home to him and he didn't take it. Merlin! He hadn't spoken to Harry since the day he left. He couldn't go on like this. He had to be with Harry. There was nothing else in his life that mattered more to him, not even his job.

He walked back to his room and called out for one of his house elves. "Tilly!" The little elf popped into existence next to him and looked up at him. "Please begin work on shutting down the manor. I'm going on an extended trip. You and the rest of the elves can join Mother in France. Should I come back sooner than I anticipate, I will contact you there." The little elf nodded and disappeared with a pop.

Draco opened his wardrobe and pulled out three trunks. He opened them and started spelling items into each trunk. Clothes and shoes in one, books in another, and lastly, personal items in the last trunk. Once that was done, he took his sheets, blankets, and pillows and folded them up, placing them in his wardrobe. He still had some of his things there, but he had taken what was important to him.

He shrunk each trunk and placed them in his pocket. He grabbed his broom and cloak and headed downstairs. Tilly met him in the foyer and handed him some sandwiches. He smiled at her and then excused her to leave. He heard several pops as his elves left. He looked around, pleased that the house was shut down appropriately. The house would remain under heavy wards, and it would just be here, waiting for the return of any Malfoys. He didn't plan to return and if he did, he wouldn't be without Harry.

He looked around once more and then nodded. He opened his front door and walked out. He locked it behind him and walked to outside his wards. He mounted his broom and took off into the early evening. He knew he'd have to use different methods to get back to Harry, but he'd do it, no matter what it took.

 **XXXX**

Harry walked out of his flat and started for the main building. They were having a big breakfast to welcome some dragon keepers from other reserves and a few researchers. He walked in and saw that they were still setting up so he was early. He walked into the office and saw Charlie making copies of the rules and regulations for the reserve.

"Need any help?" Harry asked as he stood next to his desk.

Charlie looked up at him and smiled. Harry had been different since he'd gotten back nearly two weeks ago. Charlie knew that he was heartbroken and he knew that the only thing that would fix it would be either time or for Draco to wise up and come to him. "Nah, I'm almost done. How are you this morning?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. He sat down heavily. "I'd like to say it's getting easier, but it's not. I really thought that we had something special. I guess I've been out of the game too long to know what it looks like," he replied.

Charlie put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "He wasn't ready for you, Harry. It's his loss," he assured him.

Harry gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, maybe. Oh, uh, Ron and Hermione are coming to visit in a couple of weeks," he told him.

Charlie smiled. "Yeah, I talked to Ron the other day. I'm cooking up something special for him when he gets here," he replied in a mischievous voice.

Harry laughed and shook his head. "No matter how old you get, you're never too old to pick on your little brother," he replied.

Charlie laughed and nodded. A knock on the door jamb interrupted them and they both turned to see one of the other dragon keepers. "The keepers and researchers are coming up from the gates," he told them.

Harry and Charlie both nodded and stood. They walked out of the office and quickly checked to see if breakfast was ready. Everything looked to be in order so they walked out and stood at the top of the hill.

"Do you think they brought any trainees?" Harry asked.

Charlie nodded. "I know a couple are coming. One will be from the New Zealand reserve and the other is from the American reserve. According to their trainers, they are more competent than typical dragon keepers in training," he replied.

Harry laughed. "Where did I fall on that spectrum?"

Charlie looked over at him and smiled. "You were brave and determined. You were going to become a dragon keeper and no one was going to stop you, not even yourself," he replied.

Harry blushed slightly and grinned. He turned back to look at the guests. He could see them better now that they were halfway up the hill. He scanned them and picked out the trainees easily enough. They looked quite eager and not nearly as rough around the edges as the seasoned dragon keepers.

Something caught his eye amongst the guests though. He stared at the person that was walking up the hill. He was behind the group and blocked by a particularly burly dragon keeper. Harry swallowed as he watched them approach. Charlie gasped quietly next to him, confirming that Harry was seeing what he was seeing. Charlie went down the hill and greeted the incoming guests thus pulling them away from the last person behind them. Harry's eyes widened as he took in what he was seeing. Standing there with broom in hand and three trunks next to him was Draco.

Harry started down the hill towards him slowly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Draco was here and he had trunks with him and his broom. That must mean…. He picked up his pace and was now jogging down the hill towards him. Draco was grinning at him as he watched him approach. He braced himself as he knew what was coming. Harry launched himself at him and wrapped him up in a hug, leaning back to kiss him passionately.

Draco's heart was doing somersaults of happiness as he relished in having Harry in his arms again. This confirmed it more than anything else could. They finally broke apart and looked at each other.

"I can't believe you're here," Harry whispered in an awed tone.

"I love you, too," Draco responded instead.

Harry stepped back slightly and looked at him with wide eyes. "What?" he asked quietly.

"I love you, too," he repeated.

Harry frowned slightly. "But you said you didn't feel that way yet," he replied in confusion.

"I did say that and I was completely and utterly wrong. I've spent nearly two weeks in agony over the choice I made. I had everything that I ever wanted in you and I let you go. I let you come back here and I didn't follow you like you asked. I decided that I couldn't be without you again so I came here, hoping that you still wanted me. I'm so sorry, Harry," he replied.

Harry stared at him. His heart felt complete again. The peace he had been striving for on the reserve settled into him. He still wanted Draco. He filled the void. "Of course I still want you," he whispered.

Draco looked at him in relief and he hugged him again, burying his face into his neck. "I missed you so much," he said as he kissed the side of his neck.

He leaned back and looked down at him. Charlie had led the other guests away to give them some privacy as the group was quite curious as to what was unraveling with them. "I missed you more," Harry responded.

Draco laughed. "I missed you so much that I used muggle transportation to get me here," he countered.

Harry lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "What did you use?" he asked curiously.

Draco looked somewhat horrified about his experience. It just made Harry laugh. "The tube, an airplane, and a bus. I apparated for part of the journey and flew on my broom. It was quite the ordeal to get here. I'd hate to have to do it again so I'm glad that you still want me," he replied with a laugh.

Harry grinned and kissed him again. When he stepped back he was grinning at him again. "I think that is more of a statement of how you feel about me than simply coming here," he teased. Draco rolled his eyes and cast a levitation charm on his trunks. Harry looked at them for a moment. "Are you just visiting?" he asked nervously.

Draco shook his head. "I shut down the manor. I packed up my stuff and now I'm here," he replied.

Harry's eyes widened. He thought that maybe Draco was going to have an extended visit, but this, this was so much better. He threw his arms around him again and kissed him deeply. Draco groaned as he got lost in the kiss once again. Harry broke away too soon for Draco's liking. "Come on," he said as he grabbed Draco's hand and turned, pulling him towards his flat.

Draco stumbled after him, laughing as his trunks floated behind him. "Where are we going?" he asked.

Harry looked over his shoulder at him and gave him a saucy grin. "We've got some making up to do," he said in a much deeper tone than Draco expected.

Draco's heart stopped for just a moment as his stomach flip flopped in anticipation. His life had been turned upside down again, but it was good because it brought him to Harry again. They were going to be together and the future looked much better for them. He felt at peace and knew that he had made the right decision, especially when Harry opened the door to his flat and pulled Draco inside. He started kissing him again and Draco vaguely heard his trunks drop and the door slam shut. Harry made fast work of his shirt and broke away. He locked his gaze on Draco's; all his feelings were clear in his green eyes. Draco sighed and reaffirmed that he made the right choice, and then he kissed Harry again.

They missed breakfast and lunch and dinner…..

THE END


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